Scalzi advises against smoking brisket at job interviews
Author John Scalzi's tongue-in-cheek post sparks a Bluesky thread imagining creative ways to grill during job interviews.
What to know
- Scalzi's post is a humorous riff on job interview etiquette that went viral, spawning hundreds of creative variations.
- Commenters split between treating it as a genuine hiring signal and joking about alternative meats, grilling equipment, and mock-serious hiring criteria based on barbecue quality.
- The thread reveals cultural attitudes about workplace interviews, demonstrating how a silly premise can generate both absurdist humor and genuine hiring philosophy commentary.
Bringing smoked meat to a job interview would actually be impressive and a hiring asset.
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“Ok but an academic interview takes two days and wanders all over campus and any candidate who smokes me a brisket gets my vote if I'm on the committee”
afamiglietti.org · Bluesky ↗
The practical obstacles are real and the advice is legitimate—brisket smoking is logistically unfeasible during an interview.
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“If a candidate hasn't already anticipated and overcome those obstacles, why am I wasting my time talking to them?”
thebrainofchris.bsky.social · Bluesky ↗
Better alternatives exist: pre-smoke the brisket, use cheaper cuts like pork butt, bring portable grills, or other creative setups.
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“also you aren't made of money, that's why you're at a job interview. try a pork butt instead”
chinga-la-migra.bsky.social · Bluesky ↗
John Scalzi Author
How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump postscomments
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Commenters imagine brisket-smoking interview scenarios
Within minutes, hundreds of Bluesky users responded with riffs on the premise, ranging from hypothetical hiring decisions based on brisket quality to alternative meat choices and grilling equipment variations. The thread evolved into a creative brainstorm of ways to cook during a job interview.
“Ok but an academic interview takes two days and wanders all over campus and any candidate who smokes me a brisket gets my vote if I'm on the committee…”
— afamiglietti.org, Bluesky commenter · source -
Ok but an academic interview takes two days and wanders all over campus and any candidate who smokes me a brisket gets my vote if I'm on the committee
2 more of the top 3 · 143 posts in this stretch
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In your situation I can dig a hole behind the admin building and do it old school. Depending on the field of study, I can make this work.
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If a candidate hasn't already anticipated and overcome those obstacles, why am I wasting my time talking to them?
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Scalzi posts humorous job interview smoking advice
Author John Scalzi posted a tongue-in-cheek warning against smoking an entire brisket at a job interview, citing practical obstacles including equipment transport, time investment, and poor conference room ventilation.
“Whatever you do, don't smoke an entire brisket at a job interview, it's a lot of equipment to bring in, it takes a really long time to do it right and those conference rooms have notoriously poor ventilation…”
— John Scalzi -
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Whatever you do, don't smoke an entire brisket at a job interview, it's a lot of equipment to bring in, it takes a really long time to do it right and those conference rooms have notoriously poor ventilation
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What people are saying 20 voices from 1 site · best of 144 · verbatim
- Yesterday
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Where was this advice when I needed it six weeks ago, John?!
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Of course not, that’s be silly. EAT a whole brisket during a job interview. Refuse to leave until you’re finished
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I just bring in the brisket already smoked, slice it right in the conference room to assert dominance
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I was at a county board meeting that had recessed for lunch when a bunch of firefighters walked in smelling like a burnt log. Chair: Wow, you had a fire? Firefighter: No, we had barbecue
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i went to Franklin Barbecue in Austin last weekend, their brisket is now up to **$42 a pound** (worth it though)
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I think the hiring decision really comes down to the collard greens and cole slaw. Brisket may be dedication, those two are attention to detail.
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Who can afford brisket at current prices?
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> and wanders all over campus ✍️ … make sure to bring the smoker *cart*
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My rule is to never bring along anything heavier than a personal electric grill, but I can understand taking a double-size if you want to offer the interviewer a burger.
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“Smoking your brisket” is an excellent (but as yet undefined) euphemism. “Can you believe it? The guy smoked his entire brisket during the interview.”
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The last guy I hired owned a trailer with which he and his dad could smoke several entire steers. That’s not WHY I hired him but
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Confirming: okay to wear the brisket; not okay to cook it?
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This is excellent advice. Do short ribs.
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If you can afford the brisket, do you really need the job?
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You do you, but as someone who’s hired a metric shit ton of people I have to say that if someone brought in a brisket and a smoker, they are hired!
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Of course this is the wrong course of action. One should roast the brisket the night before and bring a buffet for the conference room.
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Can I just bring it already smoked then?
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Steven Wright had a bit about getting kicked out of a movie for bringing his own food. "Concession prices are outrageous, and besides, I hadn't had a barbecue in a long time."
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also you aren't made of money, that's why you're at a job interview. try a pork butt instead
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But if you can manage it, you're sure to get the job.