Invention can turn your backyard into a South American steakhouse
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While wearing heavy black boots and wide MC Hammerstyle gaucho pants and thrusting 29-inch-long skewers of lamb and beef in people’s faces, Blake Carson began developing his Carson Kit — a mechanical rotisserie kit that converts a home grill into a Brazilian steakhouse grill.
Carson, 32, who learned the art of Brazilian cooking when he was 18 and carving meat at Rodizio Grill in Engelwood, Colo., now is selling his Carson Kit online. With his invention, anyone can grill meat and vegetables Brazilian-style at home.
“It’s a kit that sits on top of a conventional-style grill like a Weber Genesis or a Green Eggtype grill or Weber Kettle,” Carson said. “Brazilian barbecuing is rotisserie grilling, all cooked on spits and swords and skewers.”
The Carson Kit includes six motorized skewers and a top, where backyard chefs can roast meat and vegetables and even bake bread. They can carve 2-ounce pieces of several different types of meat from the skewers instead of making guests wait until big slabs of meat are done. “Instead of just having chicken or steak as an option, we’ll have beef, chicken, pork, fruits, lamb, vegetables, all done over a grill. It’s like a rock concert of appetizers as entrees. It’s like musical skewers. You are not just the grill master, but the rock star of the backyard.”
Carson partnered with Brazil’s Tomasi Food Equipment, which is manufacturing the Carson Kit. Pre-orders now are being taken for kits, which sell for $498.
Forbes included Carson’s invention online in its “10 Great Grills and Smokers for Backyard Cooking Season.” Larry Olmsted wrote, “This thing looks cool, will blow away your guests with an incredible visual and flavor display, and quite simply is unlike anything else on the market.”
A Memphis native, Carson grew up playing soccer. When he was 13, Carson visited Brazil to train to play soccer professionally for a second-division team in Bahia. Following practice, fellow players invited him to their homes for barbecue. “Everybody in Brazil barbecues with rotisseries, large skewers. They say if you don’t have this permanently installed, it’s like not having a microwave in your house. It’s usually a brick pit with large skewers installed. It’s very manual. It’s very primitive. Large skewers over a hot fire.”
Carson got the job at Rodizio Grill while going to Metropolitan State College of Denver on a soccer scholarship. “I walked in looking for a job one day. I knew what I wanted to do was Brazilian barbecue. What better way to learn your skills?”
Customers loved the method of cooking meat on skewers. “Everybody would say the same thing: ‘I wish I had this in my backyard.’” And, Carson said to himself, “You will soon. I don’t know where or when.”
Carson transferred to Ohio State University to play soccer, but tuition was so high that he had to work full time. He eventually graduated from the University of Memphis with a degree in risk management and insurance.
Carson originally designed a suitcase version of his kit. When that venture didn’t work out, he hit the drawing boards again. “I probably made 10 hand prototypes by myself. I finally got one to work. My name had gotten fairly well known in the Brazilian barbecue community about what I was doing outside South America. Word got out to Tomasi, the largest Brazilian grill manufacturer in the world.”
Carson sent a hand drawing and photos of his kit to Tomasi’s industrial/export manager, Sandro Roberto Tomasi. “Within a month, they sent me a manufactured version. From then and there, we have been best friends.”
Tomasi built a preliminary batch of 20 Carson Kits, which they sent to celebrity chefs. “All approved and gave them flying colors,” Carson said.
Carson raised $60,000 through pre-orders of the Carson Kit. The first batch of 425 will be available to the public in August. People still can order one — and get a $100 discount — by visiting carsonrodizio.com/store.