6 Best Sausage Drying Nets For Backyard Flocks Old Farmers Swear By

There’s a special kind of satisfaction that comes from hanging your first cured sausage, made from an animal you raised yourself. It’s the culmination of a long process, a real connection to your food. But that final, crucial step of air-drying can make or break the entire effort, and the humble curing net plays a bigger role than most people think.

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, this site earns from qualifying purchases. Thank you!

Why a Good Curing Net is Essential for Your Charcuterie

A curing net does more than just hold your meat in a tidy shape. Its primary job is to apply consistent, even pressure across the entire surface of your sausage or whole muscle cure. This pressure is what eliminates air pockets, which are the mortal enemy of safe and successful charcuterie. Air pockets can trap moisture and create a breeding ground for spoilage, ruining months of work.

Beyond preventing air pockets, the right net promotes uniform drying. The open-weave structure allows air to circulate freely around the meat, ensuring the outside doesn’t dry into a hard, impenetrable shell before the inside has a chance to cure properly. This phenomenon, known as "case hardening," effectively seals moisture inside the core, leading to a failed product. A good net is your first line of defense against it.

Think of the net as a crucial partner in the aging process. It supports the meat’s structure as it loses moisture and transforms in texture and flavor. Whether you’re making a simple salami or an ambitious capocollo, the net is what ensures your final product is dense, evenly cured, and safe to eat. Skimping here is a mistake you only make once.

The Sausage Maker Poly Netting for Consistent Curing

When you need reliability, this is the workhorse. The Sausage Maker’s polyester netting is known for its predictable, firm compression. It doesn’t overstretch, and it doesn’t lose its tension halfway through a long cure. This consistency is exactly what you want for classic cased sausages like salami or soppressata.

The poly material is also incredibly durable and easy to clean, meaning you can often reuse it if you’re careful. Unlike natural fibers, it won’t absorb moisture or meat juices, which helps maintain a cleaner curing environment. For someone processing a few dozen sausages after culling their flock, this reliability saves time and reduces variables.

The only real tradeoff is the feel. Some purists prefer natural fibers, but for pure function and repeatability, polyester is hard to beat. It’s a no-nonsense tool for getting consistent results, batch after batch.

LEM Products Elastic Netting for Versatile Curing

Not every piece of meat is a perfect cylinder. That’s where the high elasticity of LEM netting really shines. If you’re curing an irregularly shaped muscle, like a coppa from a pork shoulder or even a boneless leg of lamb, this netting will conform to every contour. It pulls everything in tight without creating odd pressure points.

This versatility makes it a fantastic choice for anyone who likes to experiment. Because it stretches so well, a single roll can often accommodate a wider range of project sizes than less-elastic alternatives. This is a real advantage on a small farm where you’re working with what you have, and the cuts aren’t always uniform.

The ease of use is another major plus. The netting slides on easily, even for beginners, and holds its tension throughout the drying process. It’s forgiving, which is a welcome trait when you’re wrestling a slippery piece of cured meat into its final shape.

T.S.M. Heavy-Duty Polyester Netting for Large Cuts

When you move up to the big leagues of home curing, standard netting just won’t cut it. Curing a whole prosciutto, a massive capocollo, or a boneless turkey breast requires a net that can handle serious weight and tension over many months. T.S.M.’s heavy-duty netting is built for exactly that.

This stuff is noticeably thicker and stronger than standard options. It provides the robust support needed to keep a large, heavy muscle from deforming or tearing under its own weight as it hangs. Using a lighter net on a big project is asking for trouble; a failed net can mean losing a prime cut of meat you’ve invested months in.

While it’s overkill for smaller sausages, having a roll of this on hand is essential if you plan to tackle larger whole-muscle cures. It’s a specialized tool, but for the right job, it’s the only one that provides real peace of mind.

Regency Wraps Cotton Netting for Natural Curing

For those who prioritize tradition and natural materials, cotton netting is the only way to go. Regency Wraps makes a reliable cotton netting that provides gentle compression and excellent breathability. The natural fiber interacts with the meat differently than polyester, allowing for a slightly different moisture exchange at the surface.

Many old-timers swear by cotton, believing it contributes to a more authentic final product. The main advantage is its breathability. However, it comes with a significant tradeoff: cotton absorbs moisture and fats, making it essentially a single-use product. It can also be a bit trickier to handle, as it has less "snap" than its elastic counterparts.

This is a choice you make with intention. If you’re aiming for a truly old-world process and don’t mind the one-and-done nature of the product, cotton netting is an excellent option. It connects you to a more traditional way of doing things.

UltraSource Roll Stock Netting for Bulk Processing

If you process more than a handful of birds or a single pig each season, buying small packages of netting gets expensive fast. UltraSource offers roll stock netting that is a game-changer for anyone doing charcuterie at a slightly larger scale. Buying a 50 or 100-foot roll dramatically lowers your per-unit cost.

This is a practical, economic decision. The quality is solid and reliable, designed for commercial use but perfect for the serious hobbyist. Having a large roll on hand means you’re never caught short in the middle of a big processing day. You just cut what you need and get to work.

The only downside is the initial investment and storage. A big roll takes up space. But if you know you’ll be making sausage and coppa for years to come, it’s one of the smartest investments you can make to support your craft.

Pro-Cut High-Stretch Netting for Uniform Sausages

Presentation matters, especially if you share or sell your creations. Pro-Cut’s high-stretch netting is engineered to create perfectly uniform, cylindrical sausages. The aggressive, consistent tension smooths out any lumps and bumps, resulting in a product that looks as good as it tastes.

This level of compression is ideal for finely ground sausages like pepperoni or finocchiona, where a consistent diameter is critical for even drying from the edge to the center. It ensures every slice is perfectly round, which is more than just an aesthetic victory—it’s a sign of a well-made, evenly cured product.

While it might be a bit too aggressive for some delicate whole muscle cures, it’s the top choice for achieving that professional, deli-style look. For anyone who takes pride in the craft and appearance of their cured meats, this netting delivers.

Choosing the Right Net Size for Your Sausage Project

Picking the right size net is not a place for guesswork. A net that’s too small will be impossible to load, and one that’s too large won’t provide the necessary compression, creating dangerous air pockets. Always measure the thickest part of your stuffed sausage or muscle before you buy.

Netting sizes are usually described by the number of squares in the circumference or by a recommended diameter range. Use this as a simple guide:

• Small Projects (1.5" to 2.5" diameter): Think pepperoni, small salami, or cured duck breast. This typically corresponds to netting with 18-24 squares.
• Medium Projects (3" to 4" diameter): This is your sweet spot for most standard salami, coppa, and smaller boneless roasts. Look for netting in the 28-32 square range.
• Large Projects (5"+ diameter): For large capocollo, boneless hams, or whole turkey breasts. You’ll need heavy-duty netting with 36 or more squares.

When in doubt, it’s slightly better to have a net that’s a little snug than one that’s too loose. A snug fit ensures good compression. Just don’t go so small that you tear the casing or damage the meat while trying to apply it.

Ultimately, the best sausage net is the one that fits your project, your scale, and your philosophy. It’s a small piece of equipment, but it enforces the discipline that great charcuterie demands. Choosing wisely is a simple step that honors the animal and all the hard work that came before.