Chicago Brick Oven · Buying Help
Choose Your CBO Size: 500 vs 750 vs 1000 vs Tailgater
CBO sizes are driven by what you cook, how many people you serve, and the finished install footprint — not by countertop width.
By Reed · Updated November 10, 2026
What you need
Step by step
Decide between countertop and freestanding
Countertop ovens (Tailgater, CBO-500 Countertop) drop onto an existing counter or base. Freestanding units ship with their own stand. Built-in units go into a finished enclosure.
Match oven size to crowd + cooking style
Small groups + single-pie bakes work on a 500. Families + batch cooks lean 750. Entertainers + light-commercial loads scale to 1000. Live-event / tailgate use → Tailgater.
Confirm the platform height for ergonomics
Plan around the finished cooking-floor height so the main cook can comfortably see in and manage food without reaching. CBO's choosing-oven guide calls this out specifically.
Pick wood-burning or hybrid (gas + wood)
Wood-only ovens get hottest and give classic flavor. Hybrid ovens add a gas burner for faster warm-up or easier weeknight use. Hybrids still allow wood cooking.
Common mistakes
- Buying for pizza count only, ignoring other cooking. A 500 handles 1 pie at a time but also roasts chicken, bakes bread, slow-cooks ribs. The 'how many pies' metric undersells the oven.
- Setting a too-low cooking floor height. If the floor's below belt level, the cook has to bend — which adds up during a 90-minute firing. CBO recommends planning around the main cook's natural reach.
Hands-on tips
- CBO publishes model-specific manuals + spec sheets on chicagobrickoven.com — download the one for your target model before finalizing the enclosure design.
- Ask the dealer for the model's shipping weight — a 1000 freestanding oven is a crane install, not a two-person lift.
Questions people ask
Which oven size should I choose?
Start with what you cook, how many people you serve, and the space available for the complete installation. CBO's dealer network can walk you through an in-person sizing conversation.
What are CBO ovens made from?
CBO ovens use refractory material designed to absorb and retain cooking heat. That's what lets them hold temperature after the active fire dies down for retained-heat cooking.
How soon can I cook after installation?
Wait until installation is complete, installation materials have cured as required (mortar, surround, etc.), and you've finished the oven's model-specific curing process.
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