d o-it-yourself s ummer

these Oak Cliff neighbors refused to let the dog days pass them by and took summer fun into their own hands.

Last summer, Marissa Mata spent several weeks traveling in France and Italy with her daughter and nieces.

Not only is globetrotting off limits this year, there’s no spending afternoons poolside at the Belmont Hotel or the Fraternal Order of Eagles.

The prospect of spending the entire summer inside with a 6-year-old was too much to bear.

“I woke up from a depression nap and built this in a month,” she says.

Anyone who grew up in the country probably swam in a galvanized tub at some point. But do-it-yourself stock-tank pools have become all the rage in urban living since the pandemic.

By the time Mata started building hers in late May, she could only find two 8-foot stock tanks for sale in all of Texas. The closest was about 75 miles away in Glen Rose.

The tank itself cost about $300, but she spent hundreds more on landscaping rocks to level her yard.

The filter pump cost about $100. An O-ring that should cost a couple of dollars was impossible to find for a fair price. She wound up buying a $35 bundle containing stuff she didn’t need just for that $2 part.

She painted the outside of her tank white for the aesthetics, and she found a guy on an Oak Cliff Facebook page to build a deck for $2,000.

Last year, Mata renovated her kitchen around a pink Smeg refrigerator, and she carried her color scheme of millennial pink and blueprint blue to the backyard.

A playhouse kit purchased on eBay only came in brown, so she and her daughter spent a weekend painting it to match.

Friends helped her build a fire pit with brick pavers. She planted zinnias and used the outdoor furniture she already had, plus a few sun chairs and umbrellas ordered from Ikea.

“It’s not a professional design job,” says Mata’s friend Heather Poile. “But it’s cute.”

LaToya Scales didn’t need a pandemic to put in a do-it-yourself pool.

The labor and delivery nurse, who has lived in Oak Cliff since 2015, built her 6-foot stock-tank pool last summer after finding a tutorial on Instagram.

Mata in turn found Scales via hashtags, and they exchanged pointers.

“I grew up in apartments, and I really missed having a pool,” Scales says. “So I used to get a kiddie pool every summer.”

Even in normal times, a stock tank can be hard to find, Scales says. Hers cost about $200 and took some serious shopping. She spent about $500 on the whole thing, including landscaping.

Leveling the yard is key, she says.

“I flattened the spot, drilled the holes and did all the things,” she says. “I have thoroughly enjoyed it.”

The pool is low maintenance. She runs the filter once a day and uses a net to scoop out debris. She adds chlorine and has a kit to test pH levels, just like any pool.

When warm weather returned this year, all it required was a fill up.

She says she could never afford an in-ground pool, but the mini pool is perfect for her and her two longhaired weenie dogs, Cash and Sophia.

She’s saving up to build a deck.

“I am not a handy person or a DIY person,” she says. “The scariest part was drilling the holes because you can’t go back on that. But it’s a totally doable project for anyone.”

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Use a two-zone charcoal grill, a backyard smoker or both, whatever can smoke at a low temperature (225-275 degrees) and also cook at high heat (350500 degrees).

The goal is to get a little smoke on them and bring them to a safe eating temp (160 degrees) and then crisp them up over direct coals or a hot flame. Season using the lemon-pepper and salt rub. Halfway through, pull the wings out and toss them in the wet rub. Return to the smoker for the remaining time.

DRY LEMON-PEPPER RUB (for 5 pounds of wings)

• ¼ cup whole black peppercorn

• Zest of five lemons

• Kosher salt

WET RUB

• 2 cups Louisiana-style hot sauce (Texas Pete, Crystal or Louisiana Hot Sauce)

• 2 cups unsalted butter

Set oven to 200 degrees. Grind peppercorns and combine with the lemon zest. Place mix on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan and bake for 1 hour. Pulse dry lemon-pepper mix in a spice grinder to a fine sand-like texture. Set aside.

Combine wet rub ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat and let butter, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and set aside.

Pat wings dry and season liberally with kosher salt on both sides. Use a spice shaker to apply the dry lemonpepper rub evenly on both sides.

Brandon Mohon is a grill master from way back.

When he met his wife, chef Lisa Martel Mohon, he took things up a notch. Inspired by Franklin’s BBQ in Austin, he bought a trailersize smoker and started Mohon Barbecue, which does pop-ups and catering. The Mohons lent their smoker to Petra and the Beast chef

Misti Norris, who put smoked potatoes on the menu. That gave Lisa an idea. “This is the potato salad I always make, but with smoked potatoes,” she says. “Normally I roast the potatoes in the oven.” She also uses Mohon Barbecue smoked bacon. Find the smoked potato salad recipe at oakcliff.advocatemag.com.

Prepare your two-zone grill using lump charcoal or wood logs. Maintain a temperature between 225-275 degrees. Replenish coals as needed. Place chicken wings on grate. Cook for 20-30 minutes, turning once.

Remove and toss wings in the wet rub, and return to the indirect heat for 20-30 minutes.

Move wings to high direct heat (350-500 degrees) until skin is crisp and meat is tender, 5-15 minutes.

Bar manager Heather Poile designed the cocktail menu for Bourbon & Banter, a Downtown bar that closed after the pandemic hit. The Oak Cliff resident has also worked at Stock & Barrel and Bbbop. This is her recipe for a classic mojito.

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 ounce simple syrup

• 3/4 ounce lime juice

• 2 ounces white rum

• Handful of mint leaves

• Soda

DIRECTIONS

Shake with ice in a Mason jar or shaker tin. Pour without straining into a tall glass, top with soda and garnish with a bundle of sprigs of mint and lime wheel.

Tip:

DEBRIS-FREE MOJITO: Strain into fresh ice after shaking.

SIMPLE SYRUP: Mix equal parts hot water and white sugar.

FEELING ADVENTUROUS?

Add 1/4-1/2 ounces of Aperol to the mix. That will add some orange flavor and new life to a classic. Call it “mojito Italiano.”