Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange bacon slices in 2 jelly roll or shallow roasting pans, overlapping the lean edge of each slice with the fat edge of the next. Evenly sprinkle pepper over bacon slices. Place pans on 2 oven racks and bake 25 minutes, switching pans between upper and lower racks halfway through the baking, or until bacon is golden brown and crisp. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain; keep warm