Candied bacon

Heat the oven to 375 degrees and give it plenty of time to warm up.

Set a rack inside a parchment-lined half sheet pan; lay the bacon on it closely together but not overlapping.

Sprinkle on half the sugar, plenty of red chili flake and black pepper.

Lay another sheet of parchment on top and press down lightly for better coverage (optional).

Bake 15 minutes on the top or middle rack.

Move the outer pieces in and the inner pieces out, flip everything, and season the second side the same way.

If it is still very floppy with fat dripping, return it to the switched-off oven and check again after 5 minutes.

Let sit a few minutes, flip, and leave to set hard like stick candy. Keeps a long time tightly sealed.