When he was a politician at the General Assembly in Raleigh, Arthur Williams knew about pork-barrel spending, some folks would say.

Now, Williams can honestly say he’s gone whole hog — not with the pork barrel but with barbecued pork. Williams won the 29^th-annual Whole Hog Barbecue State Championship in Raleigh during the Sept. 28-29 weekend. He competed against 29 of the best pig cookers in the state in downtown Raleigh. The N.C. Pork Council sponsors the annual contest. Williams is the chief cook with the Trade Mart Traders barbecue team based in Washington.

“I chased that thing for about eight or 10 years. I couldn’t event believe it. I was tickled to death,” Williams said. “I got real excited.”

Williams credits Charlie Meeks, a former North Carolina barbecue champion, with helping him win this year’s title. Meeks won the Smoke on the Water barbecue contest four years straight, from 2002 to 2005.

“I lived on (U.S. Highway 17) when I was 10 or 12 years old. Charlie lived on (nearby) Whispering Pines Road. … I listened to him for all these years. I went to a pig pickin’ about 10 years ago, and Charlie was there. We knew each other when we were kids,” Williams said. “Charlie has always been teaching me how to cook — that cooking in a contest is entirely different than cooking in the backyard.”

Williams said often cooked alone when he first starting competing in barbecue contest.

“Charlie and his family would help me turn the hog. I guarantee you I won that thing, but I’d have to give Charlie credit for it,” Williams said.

Meeks, who came in third at this year’s state barbecue contest, said he wasn’t surprised that Williams took home the title this year.

“We cooked side by side, if that helped,” said Meeks. “He took first. I took third. That was pretty good.”

Meeks believes he gave Williams a run for his money.

“I should have won it this year, but I messed up on the blind tasting,” Meeks said.

Williams wouldn’t divulge any secrets related to how he cooked his championship pig. But Williams knows some things judges look for when judging a whole hog.

Any barbecue judge worth his or her apron will tell anyone that among things judges look for when judging whole-hog barbecue contests is the crackling of the pig’s skin when the cooked pig is rolled over. When that happens, the sound should be akin to shattering glass, according to seasoned judges.

Williams, a Washington resident, is a former state representative and frequent contestant in whole-hog barbecue contests, including Washington’s Smoke on the Water. One of the judges of this year’s state barbecue contest was Peter Oser, a former Washington resident who now lives in Holly Ridge.

Williams didn’t bring home the bacon — pardon the pun. He did bring home $2,000, the first-place trophy and a championship coat.