Braised Pork Belly with Preserved Mustard Greens (Muy Choi Kau Yoke)

If you enjoy pork belly, then I recommend you try this. The pork belly is braised in a mixture of coconut aminos, coconut sugar, homemade beef/pork broth, and pickled mustard greens for 4 hours resulting in the most tender, succulent, and creamy pieces of meat you will probably ever put in your mouth. HAHA, enough said.

Braised Pork Belly with Preserved Mustard Greens (Muy Choi Kau Yoke)
What you'll need:

• 1 pack pickled/preserved mustard greens (found in asian markets)
• 2 lbs pork belly, with skin
• 1/2 cup coconut aminos
• 3 TBSP coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup beef/pork broth (I used homemade)
• ~ 2 cups of water
• 1 inch piece of ginger, sliced
• 5-6 gloves of garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 tsp chinese five spice
• coconut aminos, for marinating pork belly
• olive oil or fat of choice

What to do:

1. Remove the pickled mustard greens from the packaging and drain its juices. Roughly chop to about ~`1/2 inch (or smaller) chunks and place in a bowl of filtered water. Let the greens soak in the water for at least 2 hours, draining and changing the water at least twice (I ended up letting them soak for a  good 6 hours, changing the water only twice)
2. While your greens are soaking in the water, score the skin of the pork belly (cut them into smaller chunks if a 2lb slab will not fit in your slow cooker). Rub the chinese five spice powder all over the pork, making sure to get it in all its crevices. Add enough coconut aminos to lightly coat the entire piece of pork. I used about 2 TBSP. Cover and marinate the pork for at least 30 minutes (I marinated it for 6 hours in the fridge).
3. Drain the mustard greens well, squeezing out as much water as you can,  set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the coconut aminos and coconut sugar together, set aside. Heat your cast iron, or heavy duty fry pan over medium heat. Add your fat of choice enough to coat the bottom of your pan completely. 
4. Remove the marinated pork from the fridge, sear it SKIN SIDE DOWN for about 3-4 minutes or until nice a crispy. Flip and sear the meat side for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from pan and place the pork in the pot of your slow cooker. Add the mustard greens to your fry pan and cook for about 2 minutes until they start to wilt. 
5. Throw in your garlic and ginger and stir to combine. Allow the garlic and ginger to cook with the mustard greens until they are fragrant. Deglaze your pan with the broth, then add the aminos/sugar mixture. Stir to combine and allow the mixture to come to a boil. 
6. Once the mixture starts to boil, turn off the heat and pour the green mixture into the pot of the slow cooker, topping the pork belly. Add enough water just to cover the pork belly. Cook on low for 4 hours.