Chicago Brick Oven CBO-750-HYB DIY Kit Natural Gas / Wood Hybrid Outdoor Pizza Oven Review
Chicago Brick Ovens has a broad line of outdoor pizza ovens that are designed to meet a wide range of consumer interests. This CBO-750-HYB DIY Kit departs a little from many of their standalone units in that it is a kit designed to appeal to do-it-yourselfer individuals or homeowners hiring contractors to install a high-quality pizza oven in their outdoor kitchen.
This is indeed a kit, made in the USA from high-quality materials. When assembled according to exacting instructions it technically meets UL and SF4 standards for safety in an outdoor-use pizza oven. This puts it in play for professional restaurants as well as private homes.
The oven itself is designed to produce a natural gas or gas and wood fire hybrid flame. This gives you the clean-burning energy-efficient properties of natural gas, while also being able to impart the smokiness of wood fire.
With proper preheating, the dual burners are capable of producing up to an impressive 1000-degree Fahrenheit, which can cook a pie in less than two minutes. The low dome construction and their signature FlameRoll™ also create consistent heating across the baking chamber.
This outdoor pizza oven kit also comes with a peel that’s specifically designed to fit in the mouth of the oven, as well as a brush and an infrared thermometer.
Construction & Ease of Assembly
Chicago Brick Ovens made quality a point of focus in selecting materials and implementing the design of their CBO-750-HYB DIY Kit. The low dome and flue system help develop their FlameRoll™ for consistent heating. The dome itself and many of the other components were designed for superior durability with integrated stainless steel fibers.
The fact that it’s made in the USA is also a nice touch. It shows that they aren’t cutting corners by simply sourcing discount overseas components.
Assembly is where things literally get complicated. When properly put together the CBO-750-HYB DIY Kit conforms to UL and NSF4 safety standards for outdoor use. However, this likely requires a licensed and insured contractor or a highly accomplished do-it-yourselfer.
You should also note that this iteration of the kit has two natural gas burners. They do offer a similar kit that runs on liquid propane, but you can’t specifically burn another type of gas with this exact kit. This means that you will need a natural gas line plumbed to your chosen installation spot.
Grilling Performance
The CBO-750-HYB DIY Kit can run on just the two natural gas burner elements. It comes with an easy to use push button igniter and with proper preheating can reach an impressive 1,000 degrees. If you want to add to the flavor, you can carefully place chunks of your preferred wood near the elements.
One of the benefits of natural gas is its clean burning and energy efficiency. It is gradually starting to take over from propane as the chosen fuel source for outdoor cooking appliances and outdoor kitchens.
The low dome and proprietary FlameRoll™ helps to evenly distribute the heat, which is a big deal with a super-high heat outdoor pizza oven like the CBO-750-HYB. Without the rolling flame dynamics, the heat will tend to concentrate toward the back. Especially in the early preheating stages. This pizza oven spares you having to frequently rotate the pie as it cooks, which can be a little bit tricky with the low dome and mouth.
The fact that they include an infrared thermometer in the purchase lets you get an accurate reading of the surface temperatures throughout the dome, without any guesswork.
Grilling Areas
This outdoor pizza oven kit comes with a 38” x 28” cooking surface for an impressive 1064 square inches. This is quite a bit more than you see in a lot of other standalone pizza ovens.
Special Features
The dual natural gas burners that can also accommodate the presence of burning wood gives you the thermal efficiency and control of gas, with all the smoky flavor characteristics of wood.
The brush, infrared thermometer, and pizza peel included in the purchase are also nice touches that make it easier to use. It also spares you having to buy these necessary extras on top of what is already a significant investment.
Ease to Clean
First of all, you have to wait until the oven is completely cooled down. This is hard to tell by sight alone, but the infrared thermometer will let you know when the rear of the oven has cooled down. At that point, you can lightly brush away any crumbs or ash.
If you use wood, it’s best to use a long-handled ash shovel and rake. This will limit the presence of stray ash from getting on the pizza stone which could, of course, end up on a future pie.
Warranty
The CBO-750-HYB DIY Kit comes with a three-year warranty against manufacturer defects. Just keep in mind that this is assuming proper installation and that the oven meets all local fire and food codes.
This warranty is a little less than some of the others in this field who sometimes offer up to five-years of coverage.
Conclusion
If you are planning on adding a high-quality pizza oven to your outdoor kitchen, or you are opening a professional restaurant with high-end pizza on the menu, the CBO-750-HYB DIY Kit is worthy of a good hard look. The fact that it meets UL and NSF4 safety standards is certainly a feather in its cap.
The 1,000-degree top temperature means that you can potentially turn out 45 to 60 pizzas per hour. This is thanks in part to the rolling flame across the low dome.
Just keep in mind that this is a heavyweight pizza oven with a shipping weight of over 800 pounds. If you want to make sure that you meet local codes you should strongly consider hiring a licensed and insured contractor.
