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Effects of lairage time (LT) and electrical stimulation (ES) on meat quality were investigated in 60 long‐transported (18 hr) cattle. Animals were randomly allocated to a 3 × 2 factorial treatment (LT 24/48/72 hr and ES/NES). Compared with LT24, LT48 promoted glycogen recovery by 0.49 g/kg and, thereby, lowered pH24 (5.81) by 0.20 and dark‐cutting incidence by 30%; meanwhile, LT48 exhibited 2.94% lower thawing loss and gave brighter beef color while decreased tenderness. Further extending LT to 72 hr did not present better meat quality than LT48. ES reduced pH1 and tenderized beef but no affected pH24; also, ES facilitated bound water converted to immobilized water while not reaching a significant effect on cooking loss or thawing loss. In conclusion, LT48‐ES provided an alternative to dark‐cutting prevention for long‐transported cattle and meat quality improvement. Novelty impact statement Lairage time (LT) and electrical stimulation (ES) affect the postmortem pH drop. LT48‐ES exhibits lower dark‐cutting incidence and better meat quality. LT affects water‐holding capacity through water distribution. ES elevates the meat tenderness.