Great KC, now I am getting hungry!
I often use smoked ham or smoked ham hocks in a pinch to add the smoky flavor. Don't go for a cheap smoked sausage that's 70% fat.
I just made gumbo for 30 people at a labor day camping trip. Chicken, deer, pronghorn antelope.
Always a crowd pleaser, whatever you toss in it and easy to cook in bulk.
G