My aunt made this for every family reunion growing up. The sauce gets thick and sticky and the kids always go back for seconds

This slow cooker 3-ingredient Amish sweet and sour beef is the kind of dish you bring to a church basement potluck or a big family reunion out at the farm. My aunt used to plug in her old slow cooker before church, and by the time everyone had their plates, the beef was falling-apart tender and the sauce was thick, sticky, and shiny enough to catch the light. It’s simple, thrifty, and very Midwestern: just good beef, a pantry sauce, and a long slow cook that turns it into something the kids always went back for seconds of.

Serve this sweet and sour beef piled over fluffy white rice, buttered egg noodles, or good mashed potatoes so all that thick, glossy sauce has something to soak into. At reunions, we’d keep it on warm in the slow cooker and set out bowls of coleslaw, green beans, and soft dinner rolls for scooping. A simple cucumber salad or sliced tomatoes with salt balances the rich, tangy-sweet sauce, and if you’re feeding a crowd, a pan of bars or a fruit salad makes a nice finish.

Servings: 6-8

3 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch chunks

Place the beef stew meat into a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, spreading it out in an even layer so the pieces are fairly level. If any pieces are very large, cut them so they are all about the same size for even cooking.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sweet and sour sauce and the dark brown sugar until the sugar is mostly dissolved and the mixture looks smooth and glossy. The sauce will be quite sweet and thick; this is what will cook down and cling to the beef.

Pour the sweet and sour mixture evenly over the beef in the slow cooker, using a spatula to scrape every bit of sauce out of the bowl. Stir gently to coat all the beef pieces in the sauce, making sure no dry spots remain.

Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours, or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, until the beef is very tender when pierced with a fork. During the last hour of cooking, stir once or twice to keep the sauce from sticking around the edges and to help it reduce evenly.

If the sauce is not yet thick and sticky by the time the beef is tender, remove the lid, turn the slow cooker to HIGH, and cook uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is glossy, dark reddish-brown, and clings to the beef chunks with caramelized edges.

Taste the sauce and, if desired, add a splash of water to thin it slightly or cook a few more minutes with the lid off to thicken further. The finished dish should be rich, tangy-sweet, and sticky enough that it coats a spoon.

Turn the slow cooker to WARM for serving. Serve the sweet and sour beef hot, spooned over rice, noodles, or potatoes, making sure to get plenty of the thick sauce and caramelized bits over each portion.

If you prefer a little less sweetness, you can reduce the dark brown sugar to 3/4 cup and add 2 to 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (this would technically add a fourth ingredient, but it keeps the same spirit). For a bit of gentle heat, stir in a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes along with the sauce and sugar. If you like more tang, choose a tarter style of sweet and sour sauce; for a deeper color and flavor, use a sauce that’s darker and more molasses-toned. To stretch the dish for a bigger crowd, you can add up to 1 more pound of beef without changing the other ingredients, though the sauce will be a little lighter and not quite as sticky. Leftovers reheat well on the stove over low heat with a splash of water to loosen the sauce. For food safety, use fresh beef that has been kept refrigerated at or below 40°F, and do not leave the slow cooker on the “warm” setting for more than 4 hours after cooking. Always cook on LOW or HIGH as directed until the beef is fully tender and hot throughout; do not use a partially filled large slow cooker on the warm setting to cook from raw, as it may not reach a safe temperature quickly enough. Cool leftovers within 2 hours of serving and refrigerate in shallow containers; use within 3 to 4 days or freeze for longer storage.