We try to cook sweet with a little heat behind it.”

Dean Tinjum, owner of Big Ten Bones

If there is one thing local Stanley resident Dean Tinjum and his daughter Hannah know, it’s their barbeque. Starting five years ago in 2018, Dean and now 18-year-old Hannah began their barbeque company, Big Ten Bones, and started competing on a national level against some of the best barbeque makers in the nation, quickly making a name for themselves as they started collecting trophies in Alabama, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. And while Dean focuses on chicken, Hannah handles the ribs. Hannah, who plans to attend UW- Platteville for Criminal Justice, is one of the youngest competitors who is quickly making a name for herself as she cooks against some of the top teams in the country. She won champion in the Rusk County Fair in Ladysmith, Wisconsin and cooked at the steak competition in the American Royale at the Kansas Speedway, which is the largest barbeque contest in the world.

Ranked 25th in the country for ribs at the Kansas City BBQ Society, Big Ten Bones began winning awards faster than you can say finger lickin’ good! At the World Invitational in Alabama, they took 5^th place for best chicken, were a two-time reserve Grand Champion in the Fillmore County Fair in Preston, Minnesota, and a 2-time champion at the Rusk County Fair in Ladysmith. They won first place for their chicken at Smokin’ in Steele in Owatonna, Minnesota. But their talent doesn’t stop there! In Mayetta, Kansas, Big Ten Bones entered the Cocktail Contest at the KCBS World Invitational Championship on Saturday, August 12^th where they received a perfect score of 180 for their Smoked S’mores Drink that consisted of vanilla vodka, caramel whiskey, and chocolate ice cream in a glass rimmed with Hershey’s chocolate, crushed graham crackers and marshmallows.

  While the prize money is a perk, Big Ten Bones competes for fun and pride which keeps them fueled. Big Ten Bones uses a variety of spices and sauces to find the perfect flavor and currently they use Blues Hog Sauces, along with Smoke This Sauce for the chicken. Bill Arnold originally created Blues Hog Sauces in the 1980s by experimenting in his small Tennessee kitchen, when he eventually began to bottle his sauce in mason jars out of his garage. Today Big Ten Bones uses the delicious sauces to win over the barbecue world. The barbecue supplies Big Ten Bones uses are bought locally at Kelly Grill and Hazuga’s True Value, two of the sponsors of Big Ten Bones, along with sponsor Smokin’ Bros Rubs.

When asked what sets them apart from the rest, Tinjum says that they cook hot and fast at 300 degrees where others cook at 225 degrees. They start cooking on a Gateway Drum Smoker before switching to a Traeger pellet grill. “We try to cook sweet with a little heat behind it.” He adds, “It’s a game but it’s worth it.”.