Place the eggs in a pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil; cover, remove from heat, and let stand 12 minutes. Visual cue: the water should reach a rolling boil before you remove the pot.

Chill the eggs in an ice bath for 10 minutes, then peel and halve lengthwise. Visual cue: the cut eggs should feel cool to the touch with firm, set whites.

Cook the bacon until crisp, then finely crumble 4 slices and break the rest into 24 shards. Visual cue: crumbs should look dry and crunchy, while the shards should hold their shape.

Mash the yolks with mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, smoked paprika, black pepper, and the crumbled bacon until smooth. Visual cue: the mixture should look creamy and evenly speckled.

Pipe the filling into the egg whites, filling each half neatly. Visual cue: the tops should look rounded and dense, not runny.

Stand a bacon shard in each egg and sprinkle with chives. Visual cue: each deviled egg should have an upright crunchy shard and bright green chive flecks.