Transfer the the clams (in their bottom shells) to a baking sheet. Remove the top shell of each clam and discard. Serve at once, with lemon wedges on the side. Remove from the heat and swirl in 1 tablespoon of cold butter.
Place a 1-inch piece of reserved bacon on top of each clam, and broil until bacon is crisp and breadcrumb mixture is golden, about 3 minutes. Using your hands, pack bacon-breadcrumb mixture on top of each clam and arrange on the baking sheet. Run knife blade between the shell and clam to fully detach the meat from the shell. Remove from oven and pry clam shells apart, keeping the clam in one part of the shell and discarding the other half.
Place clams on a baking sheet and bake until they start to open slightly, about 5 minutes. Add lemon juice and reserved bacon fat mix until fully combined. Dice the remaining bacon and place in a medium bowl along with the crackers, breadcrumbs, bell peppers, shallot, garlic, parsley, smoked paprika and black pepper mix together. Transfer to paper towels to drain reserve the bacon fat.
