Fatback

Fatback, also known as the FatBack Pig Project, operates a hog slaughter and processing facility at 130 Daniels Chapel Road in Eva, Alabama, in Morgan County. The plant is listed in the USDA FSIS directory under establishment numbers M44819 and P44819, with a grant of inspection dated July 15, 2021. FSIS records list meat slaughter, meat processing, and poultry processing activities, and classify the establishment as small. The plant also reports custom-exempt slaughter, meaning it processes animals owned by the customer with packages marked Not for Sale. Species detail is not reported to FSIS, though the company website describes work focused on hogs.

The website states FatBack was formed in 2013 by a group of chefs and restaurateurs seeking an alternative to industrial pork production, with an emphasis on small farmers, humane handling, and traditional curing and smoking. The company describes its Eva facility as an abattoir equipped with cornerless livestock holding pens, a hog scalder that allows skin-on processing, and a five point inspection after slaughter. Much of the work is described as done by hand, including butchering, curing, hand-rubbing, and hand-linking sausage.

FatBack says it works with a network of farms in Alabama and across the South and distributes to restaurants and markets. Alongside slaughter and butchering, the company offers value-added products and co-packing, producing specialty smoked sausages, raw sausages, and bacon to a chef's or restaurant's own recipe for service or shelf-ready retail. Hours, pricing, booking lead times, and whether the plant is currently accepting new work are not stated in the sources on file.

The website states FatBack is dedicated to providing farmers with services for processing, curing, smoking, and elevating their pork products, and that it works with a network of farms in Alabama and throughout the South. The Eva abattoir is described as fully equipped to process hogs however a customer may desire, including skin-on processing using a hog scalder, and cornerless holding pens intended to keep animals from injuring themselves while in holding. FSIS records show the plant reports custom-exempt slaughter, so animals owned by the customer can be processed with packages marked Not for Sale. A farmer inquiry form is offered on the contact page. Booking procedures, scheduling lead times, minimums, kill fees, and cut and wrap charges are not stated in the sources on file.

Fatback reports custom-exempt slaughter to FSIS, which means it can process an animal a customer already owns (a whole, half, or share bought before slaughter) and return it in packages marked Not for Sale. Most small farms have one or two plants they book with, and the plant's calendar decides the delivery date.

The website says FatBack supplies premium pork to chefs, retailers, and homes across much of the country, and the site displays a cart, indicating online ordering. Wholesale offerings listed include whole hogs, half hogs, quarter hogs, primals, ground pork, bacon, and specialty sausages. The sources on file do not state retail counter hours, on-site retail sales, shipping terms, delivery areas, or bundle pricing.

If you are buying a half or quarter animal, the plant is where the animal is processed; the farm sells you the animal. Read how to buy a half cow for the sequence and the math.