We tend to skip on the 3-day pickled pork journey in favor of a much easier kielbasa or andouille sausage. You might be able to try vegetarian sausages, but I don’t know how well they’ll hold up to the 2 hour cook time.
We use a ghost pepper hot sauce for a nice kick, but halve the amount to a 1/2 teaspoon to keep things reasonable.
It’s spicy, savory, and “earthy” with the green peppers, celery, and bay leaves.
The rice recipe he gives is my go to for rice in general, too. I really like fluffy, non-sticky result of using basmati for it.