Let’s talk turkey. Or chicken.
It’s not easy to tie your bird’s wings and legs to keep them close to the body while cooking.
But two Stark County inventors have found a simple solution in the quest for the perfect poultry.
Jhe Turbo Trusser is the result of Brian Halasinski and Kirk Hyust.
The stainless steel contraption eliminates the need for kitchen twine and chef skills in order to prep your bird.
“It’s hard to truss a chicken or a turkey and make it come out nice and not dry out,” said Halasinski, a 1996 Perry High graduate. “How do we solve this problem? Our product is designed to be used with everything from oven to rotisserie. »
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Braised poultry to allow it to cook more evenly, retain juices and for presentation.
“On the holidays alone – Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter – 80 million turkeys are eaten in the United States,” said Halasinski, 44.
To use the Turbo Trusser, two metal hooks are placed in the stainless steel trusser and then attached to the legs and wings. The legs are then placed into the specially designed slots on the trusser.
“That’s it. Hang in there and cook,” he said.
Details of Turbo Trusser
The Turbo Trusser for turkeys is slightly larger than the chicken version. The product sells for $14.99.
It can be used with ovens, smokers, rotisseries, grills, rotisseries and fryers and is dishwasher safe.
The product was designed and manufactured in Northeast Ohio. Cleveland Metal Stamping stamps the shape and the wire is made by Wire Products of Cleveland. The trim is produced by Wadsworth Rohrer Corp.
“Being in the Ohio Rust Belt, it used to be a manufacturing mecca,” Halasinski said. “A lot of these companies are still around. Why not use these companies?”
Halasinski and Hyust, with the help of Halasinski’s wife, Bre, use a sealing machine to package product and fulfill orders from their Plain Township warehouse.
Where can you buy a Turbo Trusser?
The Turbo Trusser is available locally at Hartville Hardware & Lumber, Custom Fireplace Shop in Jackson Township, Ace stores in Kent and Akron, Mister Brisket in Cleveland Heights, and other stores across the United States. It can also be ordered from turbotrusser.com.
They have shipped the product to customers in Germany, Italy, Chile, Australia, Canada, England and Scotland.
Cindy Kandel, Divisional Merchandise Manager at Hartville Hardware, said they were thrilled to join us. The hardware store likes to promote local products and offers local brands of coffee and clothing, she said.
“We still think of ourselves as a small city store even though we’re not small,” Kandel said. “We always want to give people who are trying to start a business a chance and make them successful.”
They look for products that resonate with customers.
She said Trubo Trusser was attracting the attention of some big-name grills and Hartville Hardware wanted to be part of the product’s success.
“It’s great fun to say we’ve had them from the start. We want to give everyone who has a connection to us here and locally a chance.”
A creative friendship
The couple, who became quick friends while Hyust renovated Halasinski’s Jackson Township home about seven years ago, are no strangers to the world of invention.
Hyust, a 1989 GlenOak graduate, has seven patents on a wrench he invented and two patents on barbecue products. The patent is pending on the Turbo Trusser, he said.
In 2018, the friends came up with a stackable barbecue pan to make it easier to cook several dishes at the same time in a smoker. Production of the Smoke Staxx stoves ceased because they couldn’t find someone to fire and the project, Halasinski said. They raised $17,000 through a Kickstarter campaign to get it off the ground.
The pair had hoped to give the product to the investor to produce and sell while earning a royalty, but they failed and moved on.
They also had several other ideas that never made it off the drawing board.
They decided to go it alone on the Turbo Trusser, said Hyust, a former entrepreneur and now invention coach with Nevada-based Invent Right.
“It’s adventure,” the 51-year-old said. “We manufacture, market and sell the product.”
The Turbo Trusser launched Nov. 1 topped $65,000 in sales in the first 90 days, Halasinski said.
“We are moving fast and growing as fast as we can,” he said. “We have just found a distributor in Canada who represents many different barbecue products.”
“It’s quite simple. We wanted to invest in a simple product that solves a problem.”
Contact Amy at 330-775-1135 or amy.knapp@indeonline.com.
On Twitter: @aknappINDE
