Music critic
Johnny Rogan claims that the
horn playing of "Beef Jerky" by
Bobby Keys and others is a good imitation of the
Stax Records sound, particularly that of
The Mar-Keys and
Bar-Kays. Beatle biographer John Blaney states that although Lennon incorporates a clever
production and a good horn
arrangement, he finds the song to be "pedestrian."
Allmusic critic
Stephen Thomas Erlewine considers it "mediocre." Music journalist Paul Du Noyer finds the song to be "nothing special — just an efficiently funky, bustling rocker" but notes that it plays an important role on
Walls and Bridges by relieving some of the tension on the album between "the cold-hearted masterpiece of invective" "
Steel and Glass" and what he considers "the most tortured track" on the album, "
Nobody Loves You (When You're Down and Out)." Urish and Bielen agree that the instrumental serves as an important role on the album as a "
palette cleanser" between those two songs. == Personnel ==