Utahns preparing for a weekend barbecue who bought their steaks, ribs, ground beef or tri-tip at either Smith's Food and Drug or Costco in recent weeks should check the label before they slap it on the grill.

Some 23 people in nine states have become sickened by E. coli bacteria found in more than 420,000 pounds of beef produced by JBS Swift Beef Co. and distributed through a variety of retailers in several states. Though Utah Department of Health spokesman Tom Hudachko said no Utahns are known to have been affected, 17 people have been confirmed as having the outbreak strain, and 12 have been hospitalized, two of them with kidney failure.

Both Smith's and Costco are asking consumers who purchased the tainted beef to return it to the store for a full refund.

Smith's issued an initial recall on June 25, then expanded it on June 30, for Smith's brand and store-packaged beef with sell-by dates from May 5 to May 24, 2009, including:

 Ball tip steak, petite cut.

 Lean 85/15 ground beef ST.

 Ground beef (not to exceed 15 percent fat).

 Cube steak.

 Beef for stew, fondue, fajita meat or stir fry.

Also recalled were packages weighing two pounds or more of Smith's brand beef grind 85/15 with sell-by dates of April 27 to June 1, 2009. The meat was packaged in foam trays and wrapped in clear cellophane in Smith's in-store fresh meat cases.

Spokeswoman Marsha Gilford said some of the Smith's beef has been returned to local stores. "It's not atypical that customers bring back lots of other products just because they are confused, but we're focused on good customer service, so we take it back."

Often customers purchase a large package of meat and break it up into smaller packages, so they don't know the original purchase date, she said. Those who suspect they purchased the tainted beef should return it to any Smith's for a full refund, Gilford said.

"We just want to err on the side of caution. We hope they will check the UPC codes and sell-by dates we give them, but the bottom line is, their safety and satisfaction matter to us."

The Costco recall includes meat from JBS that was "made into steaks, ribs and ground beef (packaged and sold in the stores) between April 28 and May 28, 2009. No products purchased after May 28 are subject to this recall," according to a notice on the company's Web site.

Also recalled through Costco is "Morton's of Omaha Steakhouse Classic and/or Rosemary, Garlic & Chardonnay Tri Tip Beef Bottom Sirloin" sold between May 4 and June 26, 2009.