Wesley Bowers and crew are heading to the Raleigh this weekend to take on the best pig cookers in the state.

The “Get Piggy With It” team — Bowers, Bruce Lee and Bowers’ daughter Shayna — will challenge more than two dozen other cooks at the Whole Hog Barbecue Championship during the Wide Open Bluegrass Festival in downtown Raleigh.

This is Bowers’ fifth trip to the state championship; he finished third last year. So far this year, he won the Buccaneers and BBQ contest held in Bath in May and placed in both East Carolina University’s Pigskin Pig-out and the Newport Pig Cookin Contest. But none of these wins compare to taking home the giant first-place trophy at the Whole Hog Barbecue Summit in Kinston in 2017.

“We actually won the Kinston cookoff — that was out of 97 cooks,” Bowers said. “As far as I know, that’s the biggest whole-hog cooking competition that there is anywhere.”

Bowers got his start in BBQ at the side of his grandfather, Sam Bowers, who maintains a presence at every competition they attend — Sam Bowers’ original cooker, now updated, outfitted and competition-ready, makes the trip with them.

“We also cook in his memory every time we cook,” Wesley Bowers said.

On Saturday, visitors to the Wide Open Bluegrass Festival can purchase a wristband and sample barbecue from each of the cooks and vote on which one deserves the People’s Choice Award, according to a press release from the N.C. Pork Council. Wristbands are $10 in advance at FoodShuttle.org/wholehog or $15 at the door.

Before the public gets to try the barbecue, sanctioned judges will first judge each pig on a combination of culinary technique and flavor. Criteria includes appearance, moisture, skin color and crispiness, meat and sauce taste, the press release states. Up for grabs is more than $7,000 and trophies for the Whole Hog Champion, People’s Choice, blind taste winner, crispiest skin and best sauce categories.

“North Carolina is well known as the whole hog barbecue capital of the world, and we have an amazing group of cooks who are ready to impress the judges and the public,” Jen Kendrick, with the N.C. Pork Council, said in the press release. “I hope the local community will come out and show support for Wesley and others who are continuing our great North Carolina tradition of whole hog barbecue.”

“We want to do better this year,” Bowers said. “And get this (championship trophy) back in Washington.”

Bowers’ team is sponsored by Swain Gas, which provides the gas he uses for grilling, and Bower’s business, Performance Paint and Body, Inc.