Heartland Baked Beans

Rinse and drain beans. In a 4- to 5-quart oven-going Dutch oven, combine beans and 8 cups water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 1 hour. (Or place beans and 8 cups water in Dutch oven. Cover and let soak overnight.) Drain and rinse beans.

Return beans to Dutch oven. Stir in 8 cups fresh water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 1 to 1-1/4 hours or until beans are tender, stirring occasionally. Drain beans, reserving liquid.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. In the same Dutch oven, combine turkey bacon, onion, celery, garlic and ginger; cook over medium heat until onion is tender, stirring occasionally. Add brown sugar; cook and stir until sugar is dissolved. Stir in ketchup, vinegar, dry mustard and pepper. Stir in drained beans and 1 cup of the reserved bean liquid. If desired, transfer mixture to a bean pot.

Bake, covered, about 2-1/4 hours or until desired consistency, stirring occasionally. If necessary, stir in additional reserved bean liquid.