My uncle gave me this secret sweet and savory dinner trick. Just 3 ingredients for the stickiest and most delicious thick cut meat.

My uncle Earl was the one with the quiet tricks, the kind he’d murmur over the sink while drying dishes after Sunday dinner. This sweet and savory pork chop supper is one of his best: just three ingredients, a slow cooker, and a little patience. The result is thick-cut pork chops bathed in a sticky, golden-orange peach glaze that tastes like something you fussed over all afternoon, even though the crockpot did all the work. The idea came from old Amish-style pantry cooking—using what you’ve canned, keeping the ingredient list short, and letting time and gentle heat build deep flavor. It’s a simple, practical recipe that feels like a secret passed down, and it’s perfect for busy days when you still want a comforting, homey meal on the table.

These sticky Amish peach pork chops are wonderful spooned over a bed of creamy mashed potatoes or buttered egg noodles, so they can soak up all those sweet and savory juices. A simple side of green beans, steamed or pan-fried with a little butter and onion, balances the richness nicely. In the summer, I like to add a crisp salad with cucumbers and tomatoes from the garden. Warm dinner rolls or a slice of crusty bread are handy for mopping up the peachy glaze left on the plate.

Servings: 4

4 thick-cut bone-in pork chops (about 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick, 2 to 2 1/2 pounds total)

Lay the thick-cut bone-in pork chops out on the counter and pat them dry with paper towels. This helps them brown a bit and lets the glaze cling nicely.

In the bottom of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, pour in the canned peaches along with all of their heavy syrup.

Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the peaches and syrup, then gently stir just enough to moisten the sugar and coat the peaches. You want a loose, sugary peach mixture in the bottom.

Nestle the pork chops down into the peach mixture in a single layer as much as possible, turning them once so both sides get a little of the sugary syrup on them. Make sure some peaches are resting on top of the meat as well.

Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours, or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, until the pork chops are very tender but still holding to the bone. The peach-sugar mixture will turn into a bubbling, golden-orange, sticky glaze with soft chunks of peach and savory juices from the meat.

Once the pork is done, carefully lift the chops out with a wide spatula or tongs and transfer them to a serving platter or individual plates, keeping as much of the glaze clinging to them as you can.

Stir the remaining peach glaze in the slow cooker to bring the juices together. If you’d like it a bit thicker, you can uncover the slow cooker and let it bubble on HIGH for another 10 to 15 minutes, or simply let it sit a few minutes to thicken slightly as it cools.

Spoon the hot, sticky peach glaze and plenty of peach chunks over the pork chops, letting the caramelized juices pool around the meat on the plate. Serve warm while the glaze is still glossy and bubbling at the edges.

If you prefer boneless pork chops, you can use them, but choose thick ones so they don’t dry out; check a little earlier, as they often cook faster. For a slightly less sweet version, use peaches in juice instead of heavy syrup and reduce the brown sugar to 3/4 cup. If your family likes a little spice with their sweet, add a pinch of red pepper flakes or a few grinds of black pepper to the peach mixture before cooking—this won’t change the basic three-ingredient spirit, just adds a gentle kick. To make the glaze even thicker and more sauce-like, remove the cooked chops and keep them warm, then simmer the peach mixture in the slow cooker on HIGH with the lid off for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until it looks glossy and syrupy. Leftovers reheat nicely in a covered skillet over low heat with a splash of water, and the extra peachy sauce is wonderful spooned over rice or even tucked into a sandwich with the leftover pork.