The District Pit Story

Pit master Roger Sherman is a native of Washington, DC, and grew up eating his mother’s Kentucky-style southern cooking. Born on Christmas day, Roger fondly recounts how his mother’s labor made her unable to finish cooking the Christmas turkey– and left his father and older sister without Christmas dinner that year. A long-running family joke for his entire childhood was that when he got old enough, he owed the family a Christmas turkey. He made good on that promise when he bought his first smoker. From that long-running joke grew his passion for barbecue and in 2016, The District Pit was born.

You can tell barbecue is his passion by the way Roger describes the smallest details of smoking poultry, ribs, pork and beef. The smoker is prepared to maintain the perfect temperature.

A specific wood is used for each type of meat. The meat must be brined for a specific number of hours. His hand-crafted rubs are a perfect blend of exotic herbs and spices. Roger knows his methods take additional time and effort but maintains the reward is a moister, tastier product for his customers.​

The District Pit officially began catering in 2016. Prior to that, Pit Master Roger Sherman got his start by smoking Thanksgiving and Christmas Turkeys and Hams for his friends and family. Word got around and before he knew it, he was catering small events.