I honestly think now is the best time to try to catch up so you can get to enjoy some of the more "early Homestuck" vibes from a new session and new kids again as it comes out. It feels like a lot of the transition period between HS2 and HSBC has been finished (and it was pretty well done!) so we can really see what they're cooking now.

If it helps, picking "meat" or "candy" doesn't really make a difference, you'll have to read both anyways and they are both Very Much Relevant to HSBC. It's a little bit like skipping to Act 5. It's okay if you read through it quickly to catch up but I think once you can see the seeds planted in the epilogues grow throughout the later parts you'll really come to appreciate it!