Bison, lean, roasted

Roasted bison, lean cut only (fat trimmed), is USDA FDC ID 173852 (SR Legacy, "Game meat, bison, separable lean only, cooked, roasted"): 28.4 g protein and 143 kcal per 100 g, i.e. 19.86 g protein per 100 kcal — (28.4 / 143) x 100 — the only red meat to make this top 10. A 3 oz (85 g) serving provides about 24.1 g protein for 121.6 kcal. Per FDC, lean bison has 82 mg cholesterol, only 57 mg sodium, and 2.42 g total fat (0.91 g saturated) per 100 g, plus notably high iron (3.42 mg per 100 g — meaningfully more than the poultry, fish, or shellfish on this list) and vitamin B12 (2.86 mcg per 100 g) and choline (115 mg per 100 g). Wikipedia's overview of the American bison states plainly that bison meat "is lower in fat and cholesterol, yet higher in protein than beef," while tasting "very similar to beef" — a useful frame for why it appears on high-protein lists as a leaner red-meat alternative rather than a wholly different food. As a red meat, bison falls into the category Harvard's Nutrition Source recommends eating "on a more limited basis" compared with poultry and fish, though the same guidance is aimed at red meat generally (and especially processed red meat) rather than citing bison specifically, and bison's lower fat/cholesterol profile than conventional beef is a meaningful distinction within that category. There is no major allergen concern specific to bison beyond the general (rare) mammalian-meat allergy. Availability is the main practical limitation: bison is raised commercially in the US (roughly 6,400 commercial herds as of a 2010 estimate, per Wikipedia) but in far smaller volume than cattle, so it is typically found at specialty butchers, natural-foods grocers, and a growing number of conventional supermarkets rather than universally stocked, and it is usually priced higher per pound than chicken, turkey, or pork.