Preheat the oven to 400 degrees f. and line your baking sheet with parchment paper (optional: if you don't have parchment paper you can brush your baking sheet with olive oil to keep bacon from sticking.
Wash your asparagus stalks & lightly dry them. Break off the ends, or cut 1” off the bottom (you do this to remove the woody ends of the asparagus). Divide asparagus into groups of 4-6. The number of spears you have will just depend on how big the individual spears of asparagus are.
Wrap one slice of bacon around 4-6 asparagus stalks, folding the end of the bacon wrap under the asparagus. Place bundles on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining asparagus and bacon slices.
Mix the maple syrup, soy sauce, & black pepper in a small bowl, and warm up for 15-20 seconds in the microwave. This will make it easier to stir together.
Remove your sauce mixture from the microwave and stir together. Drizzle the sauce mixture over your bacon wrapped bundle of asparagus.
Place your baking sheet of bacon asparagus into the preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes.
Lastly, set your oven to broil and broil your bacon and asparagus for 3 minutes (be sure to watch closely so your food doesn't burn). This will help to create a nice, crispy bacon strip.
Remove from the oven, being careful not to burn yourself on the bacon grease, serve and enjoy!
Notes
STORAGE: Store your bacon wrapped asparagus in an airtight container in the fridge once cooled and they will stay fresh for 4-5 days. To reheat them, place them back on a parchment lined baking sheet and cook in a 400 F oven until warmed through.These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.SUBSTITUTIONS:
Bacon - if you don't eat pork, try using turkey or chicken bacon as an easy bacon replacement! Simply replace the 6 slices bacon called for in the recipe with turkey or chicken bacon and prepare the recipe as directed (you may need to add a minute or two to the broiling step to ensure your turkey or chicken bacon crisps up).
Gluten-free - regular soy sauce is not gluten-free, but don't worry! If you follow a strictly gluten free lifestyle, look for a gluten-free soy sauce that uses rice instead of wheat (you should be able to find it in most grocery stores).
NOTE: this is a great side dish for those looking to follow a low carb diet!