Dax is Inventing Again

Dax has always been pretty inventive, all the way back to when he made those homemade gifts including a shopping cart for Mom. So when he started watching videos about homemade smokers online, we weren't that surprised. We were also not surprised when he took an old cardboard box and mounted a sturdy shelf inside with wood glue and nails. He created a hinged double door, and then covered the entire thing with tinfoil to protect it from the flames. Finally, he added a rack to set the fish on during smoking. Looking at the final product, we were pretty skeptical.

I wish I had taken a picture of the inside.

Of course, Dax still had to catch the fish, so he talked us into going down to Salem Pond on the same Saturday afternoon that Mark was at Prom. He and Seth fished near the bridge with little pieces of bread. They caught a few fish each, but they only brought two home, a tiny rainbow, and a much larger tiger trout, which we'd never seen before. 

It's a cool fish!

When we got back from the lake, Dad helped him clean the fish and fire up the smoker. He put wood chips in a small pan in the bottom, placed a pan of water on the shelf above to boil for steam, and put the chips in the top rack. Then, he and Seth took turns watching the smoke billow out of the cracks around the door. 

The stump held the door close.

After about an hour, the smoke started to slow, and Dax wondered about adding more wood chips. Unfortunately, the new chips squelched most of the remaining fire, and he was losing heat fast. He decided to add a bit of newspaper to the wood chips to get a steady heat going. Just minutes later, he came in and grabbed our largest cup for water. 

As you've probably guessed, he was soon dousing a small inferno. Despite the tinfoil, the cardboard had caught fire! As Mom rushed out with a pitcher of water and put out the flames, Dax was sure he was in some trouble. But this was exactly what we'd expected. We were just glad that he'd spent the day doing something that didn't involve a screen (other than those instructional videos). 

Mom was too busy putting the fire out to take a picture with the flames.

Poor little smoker.

Best of all, when the flames were out, Dax pulled the two fish from the blackened rack. They were nicely cooked, and with the butter, salt, and pepper we'd put inside, they weren't half bad. We each took a taste, and then Dax finished those smoked trout right down to the last bone! It was definitely a day to remember.