Both cured pork loin products. Kassler is German brine-cured and cold-smoked, eaten reheated (poached or pan-finished). Back bacon is British wet-or-dry cured, sliced into rashers and pan-fried fresh. Same primal, different finished products.
Translation takeaway
These are near equivalents in the way butchers and cooks use them. If you can source either one, you're very close to the same result.
Keep Back bacon and Kassler together in your notebook.
Names by country
| Country | Back bacon | Kassler |
|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸United States | Canadian bacon | Kassler |
| 🇬🇧United Kingdom | Back bacon | Kassler |
| 🇫🇷France | — | Kassler |
| 🇮🇹Italy | — | Kassler |
| 🇩🇪Germany | — | Kassler |