There have been times in my life when all I can think about eating is barbecue, like being in Memphis after a long time away. There have also been other times where barbecue is the last thing I can imagine wanting, like when I’m in New York City.

And then there are moments where I don’t know what to expect, and my concept of barbecue is irrevocably altered henceforth.

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At the risk of sounding dramatic, that’s exactly what happened to me at Mande Dibi, Bala Tounkara’s relatively new West African barbecue-fusion restaurant.

I’ve been working with Tounkara on an upcoming podcast for Gravy, part of the Southern Foodways Alliance, and though the production has been largely based around his first restaurant, Bala’s Bistro, it’s impossible to talk about the Malian chef without talking about where he started and where he is now.

Tounkara has always been for the people: He set up Bala’s Bistro to look like a buffet so that people unfamiliar or skeptical or simply curious about his food could have full sampling power.

Mande Dibi expands Memphis barbecue with West African flavor

He originally envisioned Mande Dibi with the same level of sensory service. He wanted customers to be able to see and point to various grilled meats, with his staff able to cut steamy, smoky pieces for diners to try — but he said it’s a bit too complicated to execute as it stands.

Still, Tounkara has delivered on the meats, and then some. At Mande Dibi, you may not find pork — he and his family are Muslim — but you won’t miss it. There’s lamb, chicken, beef and oxtail. There’s a plethora of sides. There’s fresh tamarind and ginger juice. Really, there’s far too much to try in one or two visits, but I did my best.

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I got the jerk chicken plate ($16) and the brisket sandwich ($12) to split between myself and a pal. The chicken — more a nod to the Caribbean than to Tounkara’s home — comes with a quarter bird (leg, thigh and wing) with spicy onion relish, jerked barbecue sauce, stewed veggies and a dinner roll. The brisket sandwich — a West African spin on the southern barbecue classic — is layered with tender smoked brisket, that same jerk barbecue sauce, onions, pepper and pickles.

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The chicken was impossibly tender, succulent, fatty and spicy. The jerk rub is crisp all over the skin outside, adding all the seasoning you need with a shatter-crunch. You can pull the chicken yourself and make a sandwich with the stew of onions, carrots and cabbage, or you can just eat it right off the bone.

But the brisket — this is the stuff. Tounkara’s brisket stands up to most around town. It’s juicy and fatty and melt-in-your-mouth. It’s the stuff of dreams. Tounkara said he’s against slaw, so you won’t find that here, but that’s fine. The pickles add the crunch and acid you need, and the jerk barbecue sauce speaks for itself. It packs a punch: vinegary, like typical Memphis barbecue sauce, but loaded with jerk spices. It’s unsuspecting and potent, but lovely nonetheless. This might be one of my new favorite sandwiches.

As far as sides go, I tried the attieke, a side dish that hails from Cote d’Ivoire and is made of granulated fermented cassava. It’s served with a little cube of Maggi — that umami seasoning you might otherwise find in Asia — and pickles and is debatably the perfect starch source to soak up extra potliquor from the West African-style collard greens, made with palm oil and habanero.

I’d say the more the merrier at Mande Dibi. There’s a lot of good to try, and perhaps too much for just one person to feel comfortable with. Bring a crew and make it family-style. Oh, and definitely don’t forgo the frozen tamarind-ginger juice doing pinwheels in the drink dispenser behind the counter.

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Mande Dibi West African BBQ-Grill, located at 6825 Winchester Road, is open every day from 11 a.m.-8 p.m.