Preheat oven to 400ºF. Place bacon on the wire rack and season with freshly ground black pepper. Par-bake the bacon for 10 minutes in the oven.
While the bacon is in the oven, stuff each date with goat cheese. Remove bacon from oven and let it rest. Then carefully wrap the stuffed date with a piece of bacon.
Stick the bacon and date with a toothpick and place it back on the wire rack. Repeat. Place back in oven for 10-15 min. or until the bacon is browned and fully cooked.
Remove the bacon wrapped dates from the oven and let the rest for 10 minutes before eating.