Cajun Crawfish Boils - Ingredients, Twists, etc.

I've recently purchased my first home in southern Louisiana and it's perfect for hosting crawfish boils. Got a brand new pot and burner for our wedding, and can't wait to use it. I started taking a couple minutes at work each day the last few weeks to make sure my recipe and process are ready for the crawfish season. I also started looking into key ingredients others use, and unique twists (without getting crazy) on recipes.

One thing I've found to be common for a "twist", AKA adding more spice, is including Chinese Pepper in the boil. I've seen the Cajunland brand of Chinese Pepper every time I go into a local Winn Dixie, and I've been curious every time I pass it. Has anyone actually used Chinese Pepper, and if so, is it everything it's cracked up to be? I've read some say they can't tell the difference, others say it adds no flavor just raw heat.

Other ingredients I've heard to implement into your boil, or leave out, are: pineapple (add), sausage (leave out or do separately - keeps the fats from making crawfish have a "slimy" texture?), bay leaves (add for flavor), artichokes (add), sweet potatoes (add), salt (add, even if using a jar/bag of crawfish boil mix).

Not looking to change my recipe, as I think the best crawfish are made when it's kept simple. Might look into adding the Chinese Pepper to a more spicy recipe, but would like feedback from others who've tried it. Mainly looking to hear from others about what they think works best, what you can critique without ruining a whole batch, and just general crawfish boil chatter.

UPDATE: From seeing other threads, it sounds like the Chackbay Seasoning is a big hit for those who try it, and people have said it's a chinese pepper base, or that it's a big part of it. Think I need to try adding some chinese pepper to the boils.