Thermometer placement

[demon00]

I have a 6 gallon stock pot still with a 3/4 in, column elbow and about a foot out to a 36in water jacket condenser.. my question is , I used a thermometer just off the side of the top and my temps were off about 15-20° , would it work ok to drill a hole in my elbow and put my thermometer in there ? It's a digital probe type, and just seal around it with flour paste when I operate ?? Thanks