There is a lot of crap jerky out there. Rays is one of the better ones I've had. I met Ray years ago in Ouray but I think I saw him at a trade show years ago. Anyway... Black Pepper is my favorite. Dry texture and tender bites. Not tough like you're pulling your teeth out. Beef sticks are good as well, not too greasy like dare I say, "Slim Jim". Mass produced crap. One negative is I wish Ray offered a 1 lb. Bag vs the 3.5oz bags that are $10.99...or $51.00 lb. Also I wish the beef sticks came is sizes of 12 or so vs. 24 pack. That's just too much. Mahogany Smoked Meats (Bishop, CA) is still my favorite but Rays is great. read more

A must stop if you are in Montrose or Telluride. Just outside Montrose on the way to Telluride, we have been coming here for years and is our favorite Jerky in the world. Worth the stop to this mom and pop business. We need to support more businesses like this and the friendliness of Ray and his dog Cole can only be found in small businesses like this. Plus, the quality of their product speaks for itself. Bring back a bunch for your friends and family as gifts. read more

Rays Jerky - Specialty Food Near Me - Montrose, Colorado

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I must've passed by both rays jerky locations a few dozen times each but never stopped. My sister came to visit and I ended up visiting the ouray location and then this one within 24 hours. The jerky really is the best beef jerky either of us have had. It's the perfect texture and all of the flavors are divine. Jalapeño was my personal favorite. This location is bigger and the service is a lot more friendly and informative. He let us try as many jerky and beef stick flavors as we wanted and he made sure to mention if we buy X amount we get one free. Ouray location was stingy on samples, didn't mention the special for bulk buying or offer us free stickers. We walked out of here with A LOt of jerky, beef sticks and the Amish caramels. The Amish caramels are yummy!! They have other stuff in there to purchase for gifts or souvenirs. It's worth a detour even if you're not passing by. read more

Rays Jerky is fantastic! Local, delicious, simple ingredients. Ray- the owner is fantastic and is always happy to let you try the many different jerky and is super personable and helpful. Pro tip try the Amish Caramels they are incredible! 10/10 recommend! read more

Ray's jerky is worth going out of your way to pick up some great jerky. The flavors are thoughtfully made. The seasonings meld perfectly with the meat so they are delicious but the flavors don't overwhelm the taste of the meat. We've been stopping by when we're in town for about 10 years and we can't say enough about how great these products are. In additions to the amazing products, the staff, no matter who happens to be in are warm, welcoming and helpful. Their mascot Coal, also brings a smile to our faces when we get to the door. Definitely stop in and try this place! read more

Rays Jerky - 6 flavors of jerky and meat sticks. Delish! - Specialty Food Near Me - Montrose, Colorado

Looooved this jerky! Quality jerky, flavors good and the Pure pain has an amazing kick to it. We're from Texas and we know our Jerky so trust me when I say you have to try this jerky! Ray is really nice, gave us plenty of samples and recommended great flavors. 10/10 need to come back when visiting Montrose! read more

Rays Jerky - Pure Pain flavor - Specialty Food Near Me - Montrose, Colorado

Really delicious jerky. The best we have ever had. I decided to have some on hand as I'm trying to eat more low carb and it's a delicious treat or meal replacement. I love it!! read more

Stopped in on our way home and the lady who greeted us at the front was the sweetest ever! We got 3 different types of jerky and let me tell you..... the best jerky I've had in a while. They have so much flavor!!!! We also got the pleasure to meet Cole the shop dog and he totally set the vibe. We will definitely be back! Thank you! read more

Rays Jerky - Jalapeño, desert hot, cherry maple smoked elk - Specialty Food Near Me - Montrose, Colorado

Spent the night in Ouray on a road trip from California back to Texas and happened upon this merchant. The store was run by an outgoing Gentleman that answered all our questions and offered samples of what ever we were interested in. After sampling several different jerkies and the beef sticks walked out with a shopping bag full. So here I am ordering more on line and waiting with mouth watering to sink my teeth into this, some of the best jerky and beef sticks we have ever eaten. read more

Excellent product. The spicy beef stick is just the right amount of spicy for those that like a little kick but not too much. They also have a great selection of flavors . Will definitely be going back for more. Do yourself a favor and check them out. read more

Showed up 5 mins after close and Ray let us in anyways. Super welcoming and chatted with us for awhile. Jerky was off the charts, tons of flavors and types. Prime rib and black pepper were my favorite. They also hand out toothpicks when you purchase jerky. Genius idea since its not uncommon to get some stuck in between your teeth. read more

Rays Jerky - Black Pepper Beef Jerky - Specialty Food Near Me - Montrose, Colorado

Fantastic jerky and other things like candy. Ray is very personable and you can tell he loves his business. And Cole his dog is amazing. Please try and stop by if you are in the area! read more

Rays has an amazing selection of high quality products. There's something for everyone! The staff are always willing to meet you with kind patience and knowledge. They take time to answer questions and make you feel like a valued customer. If you're in the montrose area and love jerky- give rays a shot! read more

Absolutely love Ray's Jerky! Service and product is top notch. I need to have high protein but I'm reactive hypoglycemic. The jerky doesn't mess with my blood sugars and it helps with my protein needs The beef sticks taste great and aren't greasy. I love that Ray is carrying other products now too. read more

Looove this jerky!! We have been enjoying the jerky for 14+ years. Every time we drive through we have to grab some and then we moved out of state so definitely every time we drive through we stock up! He does an amazing job it is so delicious! Ray and his employees are always so friendly when we go in! It's just absolutely amazing high quality meat, delicious flavor, superb quality jerky! We make jerky too but there's just something about Rays jerky!! FREE SAMPLES!! Highly recommend stopping in and trying all of the flavors, everyone of them are amazing, very distinctive flavors and delicious!! Seriously delicious high quality, premium jerky!! read more

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Great Jerky! The Prime Rib is unbelievable. My only complaint, just read the ingredients for the Smoked Elk and... seriously? High Fructose Corn Syrup? Tastes great but surely there's something else you could use besides that? Monk Fruit? Sugar? And Maple Syrup FLAVOR? Why not Maple Syrup? I'm sure they're cheaper to use, but this is a Premium Jerky. They didn't cut any corners on the quality of the meat. It's fantastic. read more

A couple months ago when I was in Montrose for my elopement in Telluride, we drove past Ray's Jerky and had an overwhelming feeling like we should loop back and get some Jerky. What a wonderful experience we had! Ray was so kind, his product is easily the best Jerky I've had, I only wish I bought more. I love supporting businesses that not only deliver great quality products, but also care about their buyers and makes the customer experience unique. So if you ever see a Ray's Jerky, do yourself a favor and get some of that good stuff! read more

I found Rays Jerky by chance the summer of 2021 and fell in love with it. I have turned other family and friends on to it as well! We make the trip from Grand Junction every time we run out! If you have not tried it you need to try it!! Well worth it!! PLUS, Ray is a great guy-super friendly and great customer service!!! read more

UPDATED REVIEW!!!!!!!!! Rays jerky does not disappoint!!! It's been a few years since we've been to Montrose but believe me when I say that Rays is definitely a must on my list to get before we leave. This time I stocked up on everything X2. I don't know if or when I'll be back in Montrose. I always forget that I do occasionally get their emails. So don't fret my non-native Montrose friends if you fall in love with their jerky you can always order online! Which is what I will probably have to do. Although stopping in in person is so fun. Ray, his wife and his beautiful dog Coal are so welcoming. My son has been on a heat lover adventure lately, he's been wanting to try the hottest item everywhere we go. So of course the "PURE PAIN" caught his eyes and Ray was happy to give him a sample. (Which by the way you can sample every jerky there) let's just say we had some good laughs as my son decided to torture himself by eating Ray's concoction straight from the center of a volcano. So if you happen to be in the area visiting stop by. If you're a local and have not tried this place, you should!!! And if you are a far away Yelper and happened to look at my reviews try ordering online. This jerky is delish, flavorful and not dry. Thank you again Rays Jerky! As always our visit was great. Till next time my friends! Take care! read more

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Absolutely warm friendly staff who accommodated a traveling gal to get her scrumptious jerky for hikes in the San Juan's . Fantastic staff perfect high quality jerky . read more

The BEST jerky anywhere!! Meaty and chewy not dry and tough. The flavors are all great. My personal favorite is the BBQ. It's smoky and sweet and not too salty. They have other great products, a nice little shop, great gift ideas and specials. They do mail order and they are super nice people. Try their jerky, you'll be forever hooked! read more

I had to travel all the way from California to get some more beef jerky after a family member turned me on to it. It's the best jerky I have tried and worth the trip! You must stop in to rays if you are traveling through the area. read more

Hot damn! This was probably the best jerky I've ever had. It was incredibly tender, full of flavor and there's a lot to choose from. Prices are definitely reasonable. The tenderness alone totally makes it almost a true craveable. It's hard to miss all his signs and I highly recommend taking a few minutes to pull over and check them out like we did on our way from Grand Junction to Telluride. It was so good, I was really mad at my husband when we drove home and didn't stop again(I was napping). read more

Rays Jerky - Parking lot sign. - Specialty Food Near Me - Montrose, Colorado

Stop by and get some awesome jerky! This place is right on the way to Telluride from Montrose airport (there are those flailing arm stick men outside leading you right into the parking lot!). Amazing jerky flavors and you can try everything! Plus you can chat to the owner, Ray, and meet his dog! I loved the ghost pepper, desert hot, and black pepper flavors. I also picked up some buffalo and elk strips, as well as some local honey. Will definitely be ordering online in the future and highly recommend swinging by if you're in the area! Just takes a few minutes to sample and well worth it. Thanks Ray! read more

Stopped in here just cause we were driving by and it was awesome! The owner was super friendly and gave us a ton of samples. Such great jerky! Thank you for the awesome stop while we were in town! read more

drove by and saw the smoke coming out, we had to turn the car around and go check em out. as we pulled up at 5:01 pm, we saw they had closed at 5:00, but a kind lady came out of the shop and opened the gate for us. she was extremely hospitable and gave us samples of each flavor & type of jerky. We ended up getting 6 bags of beef jerky. I HIGHLY recommend this place on your drive. read more

Delicious!! The best jerky I've had!! We love this STUFF so much that we decided to give it for all of our Christmas gifts this year. Ordering was a breeze and Ray even ships from the store, saving me a trip to the post office!! Hallelujah!!!! read more

Ray's products really are the good stuff! Trying to decide what to purchase is made a little bit easier because Ray is ready to provide samples! We left with a good collection of jerky and meat sticks! There are no bad pieces of jerky in the bag like I sometimes find when my only choice for purchasing is the grocery store. Definitely worth a stop when in the area, or order online! read more

Rays Jerky - This is Cole! Such a sweet boy! - Specialty Food Near Me - Montrose, Colorado

Highlight of our visit to Montrose, Colorado. Bought every flavor to try at home in Arizona. Caramels were great too. We really enjoyed our visit and conversation with Ray and visiting with his Newfie, Coal. read more

Anybody that really knows me knows I love me some good beef jerky. Ray's Jerky used to be known as "Ray's Good Stuff" and is truly some awesome stuff. I ran across it initially when visiting my sister in Carbondale in neighboring town Redstone where a vender was trying to get a store owner to try the newly introduced "Pure Pain". He offered me a try and I was hooked and bought a few bags of different flavors. I have been buying it online since the mid 90s I think. Looking for a Christmas gift for yourself (or a jerky enthusiast) you might wanna check this guy out. My favorite is the Desert Hot and it has enough heat to get me a slight sweat going. Pure pain is doable but it is hot and you may chew with your mouth open for some cooling air. For the non chili heads I love the black pepper. Well actually never been disappointed with any of their jerky. It is not over dried like so many jerkys. It still has some moisture to be able to bite through it and chew. If you like jerky check em out. read more

Awesome stuff. Unfortunately they were out of the habanero and ghost pepper flavors as well as buffalo but was able to sample all the beef options available. The jalapeño is spicier than the average and was my favorite that was available. The dessert heat was not spicy at all and kind of reminded me a bit of what bdubs had. The meat sticks were actually good as I'm not usually a fan and the lady was nice enough to use the share a penny as I had no small change and only credit. Will visit again next time I stop through! read more

Very good jerky..... but $68 a pound once you buy a pound. Prob a better deal after buying 5 and getting one free but was really good..... and really expensive..... read more

The only jerky I will eat, after tasting it the first time. The Mercedes Benz of jerky!!!

This place will ruin other beef jerky for you...it's good! Way better then the stuff you buy at big stores. They give out free samples so you know what everything tastes like. Ray the owner was there and you can tell he likes what he does. If you're in Ouray go stop here! read more

This is a great little shop to stop for nicely priced, tasty-tender jerky and beef sticks in a variety of flavors. While on a road trip in Colorado, we were steered Ray's direction by the other yelp reviewers and so glad we were! Because not only did he carry teriyaki jerky, also known to me now as meat-lover's manna, but he also had several varieties of jerky packing heat, including black-peppered, Desert Hot, and jalepeño-flavored, of which I sampled, and to which I will confirm, tasted distinctly jalepeño. We took advantage of the buy-5-get-1-free deal, and Ray also threw in two free soft caramel candies, handmade by the Amish. But that was unfortunate because they were soooo yummy (and I don't usually like caramels) that now I have to buy a whole pound-sized bag of them from his website when I order more jerky! Tricky, Ray! read more

Greatest place for so many reasons. Not only is the selection and quality of jerky great but the customer care genuine. We flew in to Denver and drove to Telluride. On the way we planed to stop at Ray's, a tradition, but did not know closing time. We arrived at 6:30 to find that it has closed at 6:00. We parked outside and went to take a picture at the fence of Ray's, that would have to count for the tradition on this trip. As I was taking the picture one of the employee or owners coming out of the shop yelled over and asked if we wanted to come in. She graciously reopened and we purchased. The tradition continues! Thank you Ray read more

Rays Jerky - Inside - Specialty Food Near Me - Montrose, Colorado

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Always enjoy all the jerky and treats. We brought a variety of jerky on a sailboat trip in Panama for the 2 man crew from Italy. A HUGE hit. It was gone the same day we gave it to them. If you want a local gift to give that will be remembered, stop by Ray's! read more

We drove over from Carbondale on this beautiful fall day! Had to make a stop at Ray's for his wonderful jerky. The best of any jerky you've ever had. Try it, you'll be hooked! read more

After a day of hiking around the Black Canyon park, we were dying for a snack on our way to our campground. Rays popped up and we had to stop in. Jerky of all flavors: BBQ, teriyaki, jalapeno, as well as buffalo and elk. There are also other goodies like caramels and jams. The staff was so friendly and helpful in giving us tourists tips and ideas of how to fill our days. They also had a Newfie puppy that was to die for cute!! They had a good deal going on, buy five get the sixth one free, so we stocked up. I grabbed elk and buffalo jerkys to give my boyfriend back home, and it was hard to not dig into those and just not say anything to him. read more

Kept driving by this place over the years and decided to finally drop by. I love beef jerky and this was some of the best jerky I have EVER had. I ordered 5 flavors and they're all amazing. Not sugary and mushy like other brands. Perfect combination of flavor, texture and aroma. 10 stars!!! read more