Prep the bacon: Preheat oven to 375° F with one rack in the top third and another rack in the bottom third of the oven. Line two baking sheets with foil, and place an oven-safe wire rack on each. Lay out the bacon strips perpendicular to the lines on the wire rack, divided between the two pans and making sure they don’t overlap. (If you lay them out parallel to the rack, the bacon may fall through the cracks while cooking!)

Sprinkle the bacon strips with brown sugar and (optionally) add some freshly ground black pepper. I like to use about 1 teaspoon of brown sugar per bacon strip, spreading it out along the length of the strip.

Bake the candied bacon: Bake the bacon in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes. I recommend rotating the pans once during baking to ensure the bacon is cooking evenly. Start checking the bacon around 18 minutes, as some slices will cook faster, depending on the fat content and thickness of the slices.

The bacon is done when the brown sugar is melted and the bacon is a deep brown color. Remember that the bacon will continue to crisp up as it cools, so don’t worry if it’s not completely crispy now.

Cool the bacon: Let the bacon cool right on the wire rack for a few minutes. (If you eat it right away, you'll burn your mouth on the molten sugar.) The bacon will crisp up as it cools and as the melted sugar hardens. Then serve!

Store the bacon: Candied bacon can be kept in the fridge for a few days and reheats well in a skillet over low heat.