Heat oven to 375°F with a rack in the middle of the oven. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper and set a cooling rack inside the pan.
Lay the bacon on the rack in a single layer so that there is no space in between each slice. The slices shouldn't overlap.
In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Use your hands to break up any lumps of sugar. Evenly sprinkle half of the sugar mixture on top of the bacon slices. Your goal is a uniform sheet of sugar-topped bacon. Lay a second piece of parchment on top of the bacon, then use your hands to help smooth out and adhere the sugar. Remove the parchment.
Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the sheet pan from the oven and let the bacon rest for 1 minute. Flip each slice of bacon over, then move the slices that have been in the middle of the sheet pan to the outside edge, moving the outer pieces more towards the center of the sheet pan. Evenly sprinkle the remaining sugar mixture over the second side of bacon; again, being sure to break up any remaining lumps.
Return the sheet panto the oven, rotating the pan as it goes in so that the bacon can cook evenly. Continue to bake for 15 minutes. At this point, check on the bacon. If it is still fairly floppy and dripping fat, turn off the oven, then return the tray to the cooling oven for 5 minutes. If it isn't super floppy, you're done.
Transfer the bacon to paper towels to cool and crisp. Devour, or store in a tightly sealed container for ... up to forever.