Preheat oven to 425°F. Slice each bacon strip into thirds using a sharp knife.
Wrap each tater tot with a piece of bacon, wrapping it completely.
Add brown sugar to a small bowl. Roll each bacon-wrapped tater tot into the bowl with brown sugar.
Place each bacon-wrapped tater tot on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle tater tots with black pepper.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
Serve with BBQ sauce on the side if desired.
Notes
Keep the tater tots frozen or they will fall apart when wrapping them. It's ok to slightly thaw them so they are easier to handle but not too much.
If you like them sweeter, add a little brown sugar on the bacon before you wrap the tots so the sugar is under and on top of the bacon.
Place the tots with the seam of the bacon on the bottom. If it doesn't stay closed, secure it with a toothpick. Just be sure to soak the toothpicks in water or they will burn with you bake them.
If the bacon is extra fatty, or you want them crispier, I suggest cooking them on a wire rack on top of the baking sheet. This allows the fat to drip through and the air to circulate around the whole tot, making the bacon crispier.