I saw a scientific experiment that put the "5 second rule" to the test. It showed that 99.9% of bacterias and unfreindlies are not able to attach themselves to a piece of dry food in 5 seconds. Even at 10 seconds there was not much to be concerned about. "wet" food was a different story. So if your stick was gettin nice and juicy on the end there may be some nastiness on it. But How many things can live in an environment filled with Smoke heat and niccotine. I say man up and smoke it.
Of course I surf at some breaks that are near run-off creeks. If you've never had "creek fever" it similar to the flu, but is caused by all kinds of nasties, ranging from dog crap to antifreeze. So if my stick drops on the ground, it can't be worse that that water I surf in.:barf: