Sweet and Spicy Bacon

This year's winner for best bacon appetizer was Chris' sweet and spicy bacon. It was very nearly unanimous. It's funny how simple things are often the best, in this case, spicy glazed bacon strips.

Time: 45 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Special Equipment: some really good bacon
Servings: 6

Ingredients:
1 1/2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/4 tsp teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 lb thick-cut bacon slices

1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Stir together brown sugar, cayenne, and black pepper in a small bowl.

3. Arrange bacon slices in 1 layer (not overlapping) on rack of a large broiler pan. Bake 20 minutes. Turn slices over and sprinkle evenly with spiced sugar. Continue baking until bacon is crisp and deep golden, 20 to 35 minutes more (check bacon every 5 minutes). Transfer to paper towels to drain.

NOTE: This recipe came from Gourmet Magazine, November of 2001