Cream Braised Pork with Broccolini and Mustard

1. Season the pork:
Season a 4-lb piece of pork  shoulder all over with salt and pepper. Coarsely grind 1 ½ tablespoons fennel seed and sprinkle the fennel seed all over the pork. Let sit at least 1 hour at room temp or overnight, covered in the fridge to allow time for the seasoning to penetrate.
When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 450.
2. Make the mustard cream:
In a medium bowl, whisk together 3 cups heavy cream, and 2 cups chicken broth. ¼ cup each Dijon and whole grain mustard, 1 tablespoon salt, and a big pinch of red pepper flakes.
Using a veg peeler, peel the zest of 2 lemons into large wide strips.
Smash, separate, and peel the cloves of 2 heads of garlic.
3. Braise:
Place the seasoned pork in a large Dutch oven. Scatter the garlic cloves, peeled lemon rind, and 3 rosemary sprigs around the pork. Pour the mustard cream over and around the pork. Cover and transfer to the oven. Set a timer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, reduce the heat to 300. Cook, spooning some of the braising liquid up and over the pork once every hour or so, until the pork is fork tender and fall apart-y, about 3 ½ - 4 hours.
Remove from the oven and let cool. In a best-case scenario at this point, you would transfer the pork to a fridge to chill overnight–all braises taste better the next day, and this also makes de-fatting the sauce easier. If you don’t have the time for this, carefully skim the liquid fat that has risen to the surface of the cream sauce and discard it (this will make the sauce less rich and fatty!).
If chilling overnight, the following day, pick away at the coagulated fat that has formed a solid mass around the pork (leaving behind any cream sauce that is clinging to it–that’s flavor!). Discard the pork fat. Return the pork to the oven, this time uncovered, and set to 300 degrees. Cook, until heated all the way through, about 20-30 minutes. If the sauce looks overly thick and reduced, add a few big splashes of chicken broth to thin it out.
Remove from the oven. Coarsely chop 12 ounces of broccolini into 2” pieces, and throw into the pot, nestling into the sauce.
Return the pot to the oven, on the middle rack, and increase the heat to 450. Cook, until the top of the pork is golden and sizzling, and the broccolini is tender, about 10-15 minutes.
4. Serve:
Squeeze the juice of the two zested lemons over the entire pot. Sprinkle with more chili flakes, salt, and pepper (to taste). Serve, preferably with toast or polenta or mashed potatoes or something carby for soaking up all the juices!! It will be epic, I promise.