Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C). Beat butter and garlic together in a bowl. Poke several holes in rib eye with a sharp knife. Rub butter mixture all over meat and season with salt and pepper. Place rib eye fat-side up in a roasting pan. Roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
To make rib roast. The night before, mix spices and rub all over roast. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate over night. The next day take roast out 1/2 hour before roasting to come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place on a rack and then place that on a cookie sheet or roaster pan.
Directions. Place roast in oven and roast until a meat thermometer registers 130 degrees for medium-rare, about 3 1/2 hours. If roast is done sooner than you expect, simply turn oven as low as possible (preferably 150 to 170 degrees F) and let stand until ready to serve. Transfer roast to a cutting board, with rib bones perpendicular to board.
Place a large cast iron skillet in the center of the oven. Heat the oven to 500 F. Once the temperature reaches 500 F, let the skillet heat for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the pepper, salt, and garlic. Rub the mixture all over the roast. Truss the roast if it's uneven in places.