BBQ Game of 2009: Pig Craps

Every year around the holidays my family gets together for some warm holiday cheer, cold adult beverages, and a touch of innocent gambling.   I know that sounds worse than it actually is, but the truth of the matter is that board games just lose their luster over the years.  The only true way to keep game night fun and fresh is to lay a few bucks on the line and make Grandma earn her keep. 

Left, Right, Center has been a yuletide staple for many years now, but this go around we added a new “dice” game to the lineup.  Okay, right about now you’re probably asking yourself “What the hell does this have to do with barbecue?” Well my friend, this game has all the thrills of a back alley craps circle, but instead of using those grimey white cubes, you’ll be tossing tiny delicious little piggies.  Yes, that’s right….Pig Craps.  Actually the manufacturer given name is Pass the Pigs, but who could pass up an opportunity to play a modified version called Pigs Craps while your pig butt is slow smoking to perfection in your backyard cooker.  Did we forget to mention that these dirty little piggies often find themselves in compromising postions?!?! 

Okay, in case you haven’t caught on by now, craps isn’t the intended use for Pass the Pigs.  In fact I’m fairly certain that the creators of the game won’t endorse any type of gambling involving the use of their product.  The game itself comes with instructions outlining how to play the fun family version, but if you’re anything like me, then the only use you’ll have for those is to help light your chimney starter.

Since we’re not a gambling site I won’t go into the rules of a street craps game, but the basic idea of Pig Craps is to use the contorted positions of the pigs in place of the numbers on the dice.  For the most part these little piggies come to rest innocently on their side, back, feet, or even propped up on their snout, but every so often you’ll catch them reenacting a page out of the Kama Sutra.  The night we played, these piggies were extra saucy.  In fact, I’m faily certain I caught one of them smoking a cigarette right after this picture was taken!

So there you have it!  This summer when Pig Craps is the official pre-meal game of backyard parties all around the world, you can say you saw it first from the BBQ Addicts.