Our Lady of Light Catholic Church

Join the celebration of Mass at either 8 AM or 10 AM
BBQ following at 11 AM

Everyone is invited from the mountains to the coast to join the families of Our Lady of Light parish.

Guests will enjoy:
family fun, fantastic authentic slow cooked pit barbecued beef, homemade apple pies, crafts, music and more.
There is something for the entire family.

Visit “Grandpa’s Attic” for those super yard sale buys and dance those line dances to a great band on stage.

Be sure and get those raffle tickets for many fabulous prizes and a huge grand prize of $1000.

The Pit

The preparation begins on Saturday night with the cooking of the meat. Two cords of oak firewood are doused with diesel fuel and set on fire at about 2 pm. The coals are finally ready eight hours later. The meat is cut into 25-pound bundles and seasoned, before being wrapped in two layers of muslin and burlap and tied with wire. The bundles of seasoned beef are then placed directly onto the coals by masked firewalkers who shovel more coals on top before they are covered with dirt by a team of shoveling volunteers. The bundles are then left to cook for 13 hours before they are pulled up and served on Sunday. The public is welcome to attend Saturday’s bonfire.
On Sunday, everything starts at 11am. Bundles are pulled up, meals are served, the band starts to play, and all the fun begins.

Directions:

From San Diego Highway 8 East 
exit 40 C-79 Descanso -Japatul Valley road

Turn left on 79
Go underpass 1 mile

Turn left on Riverside Drive
Proceed 3/4 mile to 9136 Riverside Dr. Our Lady of Light Catholic Church 

BBQ History

Throughout the New World, the indigenous peoples of the Americas cooked in the earth. The original use of buried cooking in ground pits was done by the Native Americans for thousands of years.

Traditional Californian pit barbecuing has been replaced by modern conveniences. However, this tradition continues today in Descanso, 45 minutes east of San Diego. A small parish, Our Lady of Light, started a local tradition in 1937.

A real Deep Pit BBQ! After days of prep using cords of oak firewood and locally grown beef, the pit is ignited, meat wrapped placed in the pit. 28 hours later some of the best tasting beef is enjoyed.

This is a community event has:

• art
• collectables,
• clothes,
• many vendors
• $1,000 cash drawing
• and lots of raffle gifts.
• Bushwhackers Band
• dancing
• kids games
• beer garden
• Deep Pit BBQ beef, slaw, beans, rolls, drinks can be purchased.
• Pies by the slice or buy one to take home.
• Free parking and admission.