ABSTRACTThe effect on the Warner‐Bratzler shear values of post‐rigor beef muscles of heat treatments ranging from 40 to 80°C with or without concurrent pressure treatment at 150 MPa have been investigated. For muscles in a stretched condition, a decrease in shear values attributed to changes in the connective tissue was found to occur at a higher temperature in the pressure treated samples than in those not pressure treated. For muscles in a contracted condition, a steep increase in shear values with increase in cooking temperature (attributed to myofibrillar toughening) was prevented by pressure treatment. Instead, a decrease in shear values attributed to changes in connective tissue as found in stretched muscle, was then evi