Have you always cooked the rice separately and added to the meat/liquid mixture? I have a coworker from the Ville Platte/Grand Prairie area whose father did it that way, and I have never seen that anywhere else. Looks delicious! Curious to the regional differences.
All I’ve experienced in the River Parishes, Gonzales, Baton Rouge and even Lafayette areas is always adding the uncooked rice to the meat/liquid mix and cooking all together.