Black Pepper Candied Bacon (Bacon Crack)

Sorry. You may or may not have a heart attack when you find out how easy it is to make the most delicious thing in the world. That heart attack may or may not be literal. This is obviously the delicious trifecta of sweet, salty, and smokey, but the pepper balances out the sugar so they aren't way over sweet. This is more of a technique than a recipe, so the measurements are up to you.

Ingredients:

• Bacon. (I buy Trader Joe's brand uncured bacon)

• Brown sugar. (I use Trader Joe's brand here most of the time too, which is neither dark nor light.. It's kinda in the middle. Either will work.)

• Freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil with overhang tucked around the edges of the pan. Put an oven-safe cooling rack on top.

2. Add your bacon (the pieces can be close together, but they should not overlap) and season lightly with brown sugar and liberally with freshly ground black pepper.

3. Bake for 20-30 minutes, turning the strips over after 10.

4. When the bacon is done, remove to a parchment–paper lined baking sheet to cool. They'll get crispy as they sit. Discard and replace the aluminum foil in between batches.

5. Enjoy!